Record manatee count no cause for celebration
A record 6063 manatees were sighted in Florida’s coastal waters during February’s annual head count, demonstrating the success of conservation efforts for the slow-moving sea cow, which once numbered in the hundreds of thousands, state wildlife experts say.
But advocates for the endangered marine mammal cautioned that near-perfect conditions for the count may have helped to push the number higher.
Holly Edwards, a biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said the number by itself did not determine the need for continued federal protection ‘‘The need is not based on numbers of manatees. It’s based on whether the threats to manatees have been adequately addressed.’’
Patrick Rose, executive director of the Save the Manatee Club, said the fact that virtually all manatees in Florida had scars from encounters with boats demonstrated the need for protection.
Manatees have been on the United States Endangered Species list since it was created in 1973. Hunting decimated the population a century ago, Rose said.
One environmental group last week filed notice that it plans to sue federal wildlife officials on charges of violating the US Endangered Species Act, for failing to properly protect manatees.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility wants to ban so-called ‘‘swim with’’ tours that attract swimmers to shallow warm-water lagoons to pet resting manatees.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service last month announced rules to restrict swimmers, canoes and kayaks in certain springs where manatees retreat during cold weather, to protect the mammals from bumps and injuries.
The new count is about 1000 manatees more than the previous record, set in 2010. It comes two years after more than 800 manatees were killed in 2013 due to a ‘‘red tide’’ algal bloom on Florida’s west coast, an undetermined pathogen on the east coast, and a lethal cold snap.
Rose said the count was made on a day that was clear and sunny on both coasts, illuminating dark water which could obscure the presence of the marine mammals.
Edwards said a period of cold weather, which encouraged more manatees to congregate in springs and around the warm waters next to power plants, was followed by a warm snap that brought them to the surface.
The weather was in sharp contrast to the winter of 2012 and 2013, when conditions were so poor that no count was attempted, he said.
‘‘These are not population counts. They’re minimum counts.’’