“Let Us” Help our Manatees

2021 was a tough year for one of Florida’s favorite mammals, our manatees. They are always a treat to see and for many it’s like being a kid at Christmas time when you spot them. Very docile, almost lazily moving along, manatees have been in the area for thousands of years.

They thrived on the seagrass beds here in South Florida long before settlers came to the area. Manatees are vegetarians and the grassy flats of the shallow waters have always been a favorite place to get their next meal.

You won’t see very many, if any at all, this time of year because of the cold. Just like humans, manatees are subject to hypothermia and the stress of surviving these waters in the winter months can take a toll.

Unfortunately, this is normal each year and scientists are prepared for this cold event in calculating this mammal’s survival rate. Recently, however, additional causes of death have been a major factor.

According to data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) a record number of 1,101 manatee deaths were recorded in 2021. This figure is astonishing when you consider the highest previous record in 2013 was 830 deaths. The 2021 figure is nearly double the state’s five-year average.

FWC’s data shows that 103 manatees lost their lives due to boat collisions, 184 died from natural causes, many others last life’s battle to cold stress but another major factor is now in play.

On the other coast, FWC says “Environmental conditions in portions of the Indian River Lagoon remain a concern. Researchers have attributed this UME (Unusual Mortality Event) to starvation due to the lack of seagrass. In recent years, poor water quality has led to harmful algal blooms and widespread seagrass loss”. Very simply, if they have no food, they cannot survive.

Manatees can grow to 10-12 feet long and weigh 1,000 pounds or more. They consume about 10% of their body weight in seagrass each day. That’s about 100 pounds of seagrass every day. Food supply is very important and some help is on the way.

As part of a program to supplement their diet, more than 55 tons of lettuce have been supplied to help prevent starvation, funded by more than 1,000 individual donations. This is a start to solving a problem and more help is on the way. $8 million has been set aside by Florida legislators for seagrass restoration projects and they are set to begin this year. This solution will not solve this problem right away but it is a start.

As we approach the end of March and the arrival of warmer waters, our manatees will begin to disperse from their winter homes to areas where food will be more plentiful. This is great for the summer months but a long-term solution is still needed.

There are about 7,600 manatees living in Florida. That means about 12% of the population was lost last year. An additional 356 have been lost as of February 25, 2022, just barely below the statistic for this time last year. Supplemental foods are a temporary fix.

“Let us” see if the lettuce works, but a more permanent solution to the manatee food supply is needed. Changes to how the state handles the runoff of nutrients and pollutants and the restoration of fresh water to areas like Florida Bay will take time but are a positive fix to keep these endangered mammals alive in their natural habitats.

Bob is a Naturalist on board the Dolphin Explorer as part of the 10,000 Islands Dolphin Study Program. He is the author of two books and a two-time national award-winning columnist for Coastal Breeze News. He is a regular speaker at area venues and, oh yes, Bob loves his wife very much!