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Miami HeraldThree conservation groups have filed a second federal lawsuit involving poor water quality in Florida that is blamed for “catastrophic mortality” of manatees. -
Miami HeraldGov. Ron DeSantis said Monday he will approve more than $30 million in the coming year’s budget to help manatees, after a record number of sea-cow deaths in 2021 in Florida waters.
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State and federal wildlife officials are working together to address the unusual die-off of manatees. Already this year more than 440 have died. That's high, but not as bad as in 2021.
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Wildlife agencies say they are winding down a program to provide supplemental lettuce for starving manatees in the Indian River Lagoon. The program will be discontinued in about two weeks.
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Many of the rescued manatees have gone to SeaWorld in Orlando. SeaWorld’s Christopher Dold says when the expansion is complete the facility will be the largest in the nation for critical manatees. -
Florida lawmakers included $27 million for manatees in the state budget this session. Advocates say the funding is historic but not enough to solve the long-term problems that have led to an unprecedented die-off.
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Feeding lettuce to manatees might be necessary again next winter because of the dwindling amount of seagrass in the lagoon.
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The annual report card from the Marine Resources Council, an advocacy group, is based on data collected by the water management districts in 2020, the most recent available. The report card shows that while water quality is improving, widespread seagrass losses are ongoing.
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A bill to open Florida’s seagrass beds to development has a slim chance of passing this legislative session. Environmentalists oppose the bill, arguing it will further deplete manatees’ food source.
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Some 82 manatees are at 13 rehabilitation centers from Florida to Ohio. The number tracks closely with this time last year, when a record 1,100 manatees died in Florida.
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Florida wildlife authorities say the number of manatee deaths in the state has nudged higher with recent cold weather.
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Conservation groups sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday in federal court over last year’s record manatee die-off in Florida.
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The agencies began offering the lettuce in December after some 11,000 manatees died last year in Florida. Many of the deaths were related to starvation in the Indian River Lagoon.
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New legislation attempts to prevent the loss of seagrass in Florida, which is essential to the state's marine ecosystem, but environmentalists are skeptical of the plan.
