USA TODAY International Edition
Experts blame bad water for rise in manatee deaths
FORT MYERS, Fla. – It’s already been a deadly year for Florida manatees.
More sea cows deaths have been documented through the first two months of the year than were recorded during those same two months in 2019 and 2020 combined, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission records.
Through Feb. 12, the state recorded 317 manatee deaths, though former FWC commissioner Ron Bergeron said he thought the number was closer to 350 sea cows.
Manatee advocates said the die- off is another example of poor water quality.
“It’s something we’ve never really seen before,” said Pat Rose, director of the Save the Manatee Club. “It looks like we have a substantial number of manatees that are starving.”
Rose commended FWC for working through the mortality event while dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
The past five- year average shows 100 documented deaths each year, with about eight perinatal deaths.
The current rate puts the state on pace to record more than 2,100 deaths this year, as much as a third of the state’s documented population.
Boat kills and cold stress deaths are tallied, as usual, according to FWC records. The Indian River Lagoon on the Atlantic side of the state accounts for the majority of losses.
The theory is that sea grass losses there the past few decades have left manatees with too little food to survive.
“It’s disgusting,” said Indian Riverkeeper Mike Conner. “I thought about it and talked to the guides, and they fully believe it’s a case of starvation.”
The state is increasingly dealing with water quality issues, from blue- green algae to red tide and brown algae, Conner said.
“The raw truth of the matter is due to negligence of our stormwater, we’ve had continual algal blooms over the past 10 years, which blocks out sea grass and kills it,” said Indian River Lagoon guide Billy Rotne. “So the manatees are starving to death.”