Florida manatees expected to remain below endangered criteria despite Unusual Mortality Event
Despite pleas from conservationists, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does not plan to downgrade the status of Florida manatee from threatened to endangered. Florida manatees are generally found along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts and from the Bahamas to Turks and Caicos.
Manatees prepare to leave winter habitats in Florida
Florida's giant sea cows are preparing to start their migration back into their usual spring and summer locations after cold winter months.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that it does not intend to make significant changes to the threatened status of the manatee species in Florida, despite a notable increase in deaths over the past decade.
Under the Endangered Species Act, the West Indian manatee was considered to be threatened, but now wildlife experts are subdividing the group into two subspecies, each with its own unique designation.
According to the FWS, the Florida manatee will continue to be considered threatened under the Endangered Species Act, while the Antillean manatee, which is found around the Caribbean and Puerto Rico, will be listed as endangered.
"For almost 60 years, the Service has worked closely with conservation partners to save Florida and Antillean manatees from extinction," said Southeast Regional Director Mike Oetker. "The best available science always drives our decision-making, and we are committed to ensuring the protection and recovery of both subspecies of the West Indian manatee."
"Endangered" is considered to be a more serious classification than "threatened," as it indicates a population is at imminent risk of extinction.
A recent Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimate put the population of manatees in the Sunshine State between 8,350 and 11,730, a figure that has been on the decline for the last several years.
MANATEES MAY BE RECENT ARRIVALS TO FLORIDA, STUDY SUGGESTS
Drone video shows hundreds of manatees at Florida wildlife refuge
Hundreds of manatees were spotted at Three Sisters Springs, part of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge Complex in central Florida, in dramatic video captured on Jan. 23, 2024.
The FWS first declared an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) for manatees to be underway in April 2021, following hundreds of deaths across the Sunshine State.
Ultimately, biologists attributed many of the manatee deaths to malnutrition, which followed the die-off of vital seagrass in areas like the Indian River Lagoon.
Additionally, both subspecies of the marine animal have faced challenges such as watercraft collisions, habitat loss and climate change, with poaching also posing a significant threat to the Antillean manatee.
"The West Indian manatee, a large marine mammal protected under the ESA and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, feeds primarily on freshwater and marine plants," the FWC stated. "One notable difference is size, with the Florida manatee typically larger and heavier than the Antillean manatee. Despite their similar appearance, the Florida and Antillean manatees have distinct ranges, face different threats, and require unique conservation efforts."
The Center for Biological Diversity, a nationally recognized nonprofit conservation organization, maintains that pollution across the Sunshine State has led to a degradation of water quality and precious seagrass.
"It’s great news that Puerto Rico’s Antillean manatees finally won the endangered status they need to get on the road to recovery, but I’m disappointed the Fish and Wildlife Service didn’t give Florida manatees the same protection," Ragan Whitlock, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. "The agency’s denial completely failed to account for the ongoing die-off that is weakening the manatees’ chance at long-term survival. Thousands of manatees have starved to death in the last few years, and that should have been accounted for."
NO LETTUCE FOR YOU: FLORIDA DOESN’T PLAN ON PROVIDING SUPPLEMENTAL FEEDING FOR MANATEES
Cold start to year has kept rescue teams busy
A series of influxes of cold air in Florida have kept teams busy rescuing sea cows that have been suffering from cold stress.
According to biologists, the marine mammals require water temperatures of at least 68 degrees F to maintain proper body functions.
Through the first few days of the new year, the FWC reports finding at least five carcasses, with the number only expected to increase due to the harsh winter weather.
Photos and videos taken from warm water refuge sites in Central and South Florida show dozens of manatees piled up in narrow waters, trying to escape the cold.
Power plant discharge locations, such as Tampa Electric’s facility in Apollo Beach and FPL’s site in Brevard County, often serve as gateways where water temperatures only drop into the 70s.
In response to a record number of manatee deaths, biologists launched a supplemental feeding program along the Indian River Lagoon in 2021 to support the species during the winter months. However, the program was discontinued in 2023 after noticeable improvements in the manatees’ health.