(MSN) – This week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared Florida’s manatee crisis an “unusual mortality event,” triggering a federal investigation to determine the causes of a recent spike in deaths and directing more money and resources to state agencies and environmental groups involved in rescues.
As many as 539 manatees have died in Florida through March 19, according to the most recent tally by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. That’s almost seven manatees per day, and nearly 400 more than the five-year average of 146 deaths.
At this rate, 2021 is on track to be one of the deadliest for the gentle mammals in the past decade. A total of 637 manatees died in all of 2020, and 607 died in 2019 in the state. Wildlife managers say that a combination of cold temperatures and a reduction of food availability in key wintering areas may explain at least part of the spike in deaths, even if the winter wasn’t as severe as in past years.
The new unusual mortality event status will likely help speed up research into other factors that may be killing Florida’s beloved sea cow, including ecological and habitat degradation.
Nearly half of all deaths — 235 — occurred in Brevard County, where Indian River Lagoon provides an important refuge for the mammals to gather to escape cold water temperatures during winter months. Pollution and recent algae blooms have killed off seagrass beds in the region in recent years, leaving manatees without enough food to make it through the winter. READ MORE
