Florida Manatees Are Dying at Alarming Rates

Dorothy Riley, SO-PB

Manatees clustered at the Tampa Electric Big Bend power plant in Ruskin. Tampa Electric built a Manatee Viewing Center beside the power plant so that visitors can enjoy watching them during the winter months. Photo by Dorothy Riley

Hundreds of manatees are starving to death off the coast of Florida, and state offi cials say an ecosystem collapse could be to blame. State data shows that in 2021, at least 1,101 manatees died off the coast of Florida — up from the average of 578 annual manatee deaths between 2015 and 2020.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in its data that the unprecedented manatee mortality rate was likely due to starvation, specifi cally in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, where a lack of seagrass has led to malnutrition among the species. In many areas, seagrass was decimated by overgrazing and algal blooms that block sunlight. Martine de Wit, a veterinarian who necropsies manatees for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, reported that many carcasses were “severely emaciated,” with some 40% below their expected body weight. During the winter months, manatees continue to travel to the same familiar regions in hopes of fi nding shelter in the warm water heated by discharge from the Florida Power and Light Co. (FPL) generating station in the Indian River Lagoon and Tampa Electric Big Bend power plant in Ruskin. Activists and researchers are now starting to monitor manatees in hopes of fi nding protection plans for future winters, Monica Ross, a research scientist from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, reported. But repairing the ecosystems is costly and requires a long-term commitment. For example, the Indian River Lagoon could cost $5 billion and take 20 years to complete, Duane De Freese, execu(Continued on page 13)

(Continued from page 13) tive director of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, reported. In December 2021, FPL allocated $700 million to begin the restoration of the Indian River Lagoon. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and local authorities have designated safety zones to protect manatees. Both Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties include a great number of manatee protected zones. Most are no-wake zones, but a few are areas that boaters may not enter. When educating recreational boaters through Vessel Safety Check or Public Education classes, keep these in mind.Ω

Maps of manatee protected zones within our division’s area of responsibility: https://myfwc. com/media/7318/pinellasmpz-maps.pdf Tampa Electric Ruskin Manatee Viewing Center: https://www.tampaelectric.com/company/ mvc

Below: Manatees frolicking in the warm waters beside the Tampa Electric Big Bend power plant. Photo taken from the viewing decks of the Manatee Viewing Center, pictured below right. Photographs by Dorothy Riley