November is Manatee Awareness Month

The Manatee or the West Indian manatee is the official state marine mammal of Florida, a title bestowed in 1975. Its scientific name is Trichechus manatus and also known as sea cow. 

Florida’s abundant beds of seagrass are the perfect marine environment for the Florida Manatee; they graze on seagrass and weeds up to seven hours each day consuming an average of 100 to 200 pounds of seagrass, about 10-15% of their body weight. They can live up to 60 years if allowed to do so.

As more and more people came to Florida to live and visit, the manatee population began to dwindle and manatee deaths increased. In 1973, Congress enacted the Endangered Species Act and the manatee was among the first animals on its list.

In 2017, the manatee population seemed to have rebounded, and it was removed from the Endangered Species protection, though many scientists did not agree.

Not one to be proud of: It is 2021 and at the time of this writing there are 1,003 reported manatee deaths. According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), most of them are occurring on the Indian River Lagoon of Brevard County. This number represents more than 10% of Florida’s estimated manatee population. As of the most recent aerial surveys in January and February 2019, there are at least 5,733 manatees in Florida.

It is also reported that over 60% of seagrass (manatee’s primary food) on the Indian River Lagoon have been lost over the last decade. Manatees are starving to death! The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has labeled this event “unusual mortality event”

(UME) and scientists and researchers are exploring both short term solutions as well as long term solutions in restoring the lagoon’s ecosystem.

What’s causing the reduction of the sea grass on the Indian River Lagoon? Scientists are pointing the finger at decades of algal blooms for the seagrass die-offs. Algal blooms sitting on the surface of the water are so thick that it is blocking the sunlight from reaching the seagrass – just like any plant, they need sunlight to survive.

Additionally, according to scientists and researchers there are nutrients coming from the ground water from septic tanks, agriculture, wastewater treatment facilities, spills, runoffs from upland areas, fertilizer and the amount of nitrogen - especially phosphorus - all feed the algal bloom.

According to Patrick Rose, Executive Director for Save the Manatee Club (SMC) from a water quality perspective, SMC is encouraging local communities to invest in improved wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. Local funds can be leveraged to increase state and federal funding opportunities so more can be achieved in a shorter amount of time. Individual citizens can also help by reducing fertilizer. SMC is a strong supporter of “doing better to implement regulations and projects that improve water quality by stopping pollution at its source before it gets into the water bodies and also hold polluters accountable.

In September Governor DeSantis announced the awards for the Wastewater Grant Program, which was established in the Clean Waterways Act. Eligible projects include those that upgrade traditional septic systems to include nutrient removal technology, provide advanced wastewater treatment, or convert septic tanks to central sewer. Out of the total $114 million awarded, more than $53 million of the wastewater grants – 46 percent of the funding for Fiscal Year 2021-22 – is being granted to the Indian River Lagoon (IRL).

Last year, the State Legislature approved $8 million for seagrass restoration, manatee rehabilitation and other projects. Let’s hope that amount is higher this year. The State is responsible for maintaining and improving Florida’s water bodies and coastal areas. Governor DeSantis has recently committed $481 million for water quality improvement projects.

Looking for a positive spin? The experts are now looking into the rising starving manatee deaths and dying seagrass because of too much toxic nutrients in the lagoon. We have laws to prevent nutrient pollution but they are not being enforced! And we have newer technology to remove these nutrients from water bodies quicker.

As we celebrate Manatee Awareness Month, let’s all do our part to protect this iconic Florida symbol, these beloved gentle giants.