Manatees dying — but turtles thriving

The number of manatee deaths in Florida broke a record this week, with 769 dying so far, largely from toxic algae blooms.

The bad news for manatees came the same day the state announced good news for sea turtles, with record numbers of endangered green turtles laying eggs on Florida beaches.

Among the major causes of the manatee deaths were a toxic red tide bloom off Lee County, which killed 276 of the endangered marine mammals, and toxic algae blooms off Brevard County that claimed more than 100, according to the Save the Manatee Club, which announced the record deaths Wednesday.

“With 2013’s catastrophic loss of manatee lives coming so close on the heels of the mass mortality suffered during 2010, the already difficult job to ensure the survival of these gentle and defenseless marine mammals has been made all the more challenging, and it’s not over yet,” said Pat Rose, the club’s executive director.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed the mortality numbers and said it was unclear whether the coming year would see a repeat of the high mortality.

Kevin Baxter, spokesman for the fish and wildlife conservation commission, said the toxic red tide blooms that had killed these manatees had dissipated. But he said it would be impossible to say whether the lethal conditions would reappear.

The wildlife agency says red tides are natural phenomena.

Because of the warm winter, fewer manatees came to South Florida and the death rates were normal, local environmental officials said.

In Broward County, 13 manatees have died so far this year, most from undetermined causes.

In Miami-Dade County there were nine deaths, and in Palm Beach County, six.

“We did not have any issues,” said Alessandra Medri, Palm Beach County’s manatee coordinator. “It was an uneventful year.” Manatee season in South Florida officially begins Nov. 15.

That means there will be slow-speed zones taking effect on various waterways throughout the state.

In Palm Beach County, an event called Operation Mermaid will be held the next day, when law enforcement officers on boats will hit the water in large numbers.

They plan to hand out manatee information to people and watch for violators.

As for green turtles, the fish and wildlife conservation commission announced that a record 25,553 nests have been made this year on 26 so- called index beaches, which are surveyed routinely for nests.

That number represents a huge increase from the 464 found in 1989.

These increases are reflected in South Florida as well.

In Broward County, for instance, green turtles made 466 nests, up from 209 last year and the highest number since at least 2000, said Courtney Kiel, Broward County’s sea turtle specialist.

“The greens in Broward County are definitely on an upward trend,” she said.