Endangered Status Petitioned for Manatees Dying by Pollution-Caused Starvation in Florida

Manatees are dying in Florida by the hundreds, mostly as a result of pollution-induced starvation, according to environmental groups, who said that they should once again be listed as an endangered species.

According to the petition submitted to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, it was incorrect to remove manatees from the endangered species list in 2017 and instead list the sluggish marine mammals as threatened. Since 1973, they have been classified as endangered.

Ragan Whitlock, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity in Florida, said that the Fish and Wildlife Service now has the chance to right it is wrong and safeguard these cruelly endangered animals.

A species is deemed endangered under the Endangered Species Act if it faces extinction across all or a sizable portion of its range. A species that face a high risk of extinction in the near future is considered to be threatened.

Petitioning for Manatees

The petition claims that pollution from fertilizer runoff, wastewater discharges, leaking septic tanks, and increased development is causing algae blooms that have killed a significant amount of the seagrass on which manatees rely, especially on Florida's east coast. The petition is also supported by the Save the Manatee Club, Miami Waterkeeper, and others.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, that led to a record 1,100 manatees dying primarily from starvation in 2021 and is continuing this year with at least 736 manatees reported deaths as of November 11. 13% of the manatees estimated to be living in Florida waters were killed in 2021.

The manatee's reinstatement on the endangered species list, according to the executive director of the Save the Manatee Club, Patrick Rose, would increase federal oversight of projects and problems involving manatees and provide more resources and expertise to address the issue.

Rose said that Reclassifying manatees as threatened will be a crucial first step in making things right.

If reinstating the manatee to endangered status is warranted, the Fish and Wildlife Service has 90 days to decide, and if so, 12 months from the petition's filing date to finish the review of the manatee's status.

Officials are aware of the petition, according to a statement from the Fish and Wildlife Service in an email. The petition will be reviewed by service staff using our standard petition procedures.

Read also: Manatee Family Rescued by ZooTampa After Deadliest Year for Manatees in Florida 

Strategies to Stave Off Starvation

State wildlife officials have announced that they will begin the second year of experimental feeding of lettuce to manatees, which congregate in large numbers in the warm-water discharge of an electric power plant located in Cape Canaveral during the winter.

The program fed manatees about 202,000 pounds, or 91,600 kilograms, of mostly donated lettuce last year. However, wildlife experts warn that unless pollution is reduced more aggressively, starvation is a persistent issue that will harm the manatee population.

Rachel Silverstein, the executive director of Miami Waterkeeper, said that addressing water-quality issues is necessary to give the manatee a chance to survive and thrive in light of the shocking seagrass losses throughout the state, AP News reports.

Related article: Florida Manatees are Starving to Death Despite Feeding Efforts