Federal officials said recent counts of the manatee population in Florida show that their numbers have stabilized and don't warrant upgrading their status to endangered - at least for now.
"We assessed both current condition and future threats, but still determined that the Florida manatee was best characterized as a threatened species, one that is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future,” said Terri Calleson, Florida Manatee Recovery Coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, during a public hearing Wednesday.
“The proposed re-listing rule, if that's finalized, it would still result in the same protections for the Florida manatee as it would if it was endangered. We certainly feel like this determination is appropriate.”
More than 1,100 manatees died after seagrass was smothered by algae in the Indian River Lagoon in 2021. Just this year alone, nearly 150 of the sea cows have died in Florida.
In 2024, 565 manatee deaths were reported in Florida; 555 in 2023; 800 in 2022; 1,100 in 2021; and 637 in 2020.
Several statewide environmental groups had petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reclassify the species, which is now listed as threatened.
The service previously issued a 90-day finding indicating the petition presented substantial information that uplisting may be warranted. The agency found that seagrass losses from water pollution may pose a threat to the manatees such that they may again warrant protection as an endangered species.
Environmentalists said while the mortalities have eased, unchecked pollution — from wastewater treatment discharges, leaking septic systems, fertilizer runoff and other sources — continues to affect the species.
The proposed rule does call for the Puerto Rico population of manatees to be listed as endangered. The new regulations split off what had previously been called the West Indian manatee.
Current estimates suggest as few as 250 manatees currently live around the island. The population’s genetic diversity is also very low, which decreases their ability to adapt to changing conditions and rebound after unexpected mortality events such as hurricanes, boat strikes or disease.
The wildlife service is taking comments from the public until March 17 before making their final determination. You can comment by clicking HERE.
One of the callers at the virtual public hearing was Rhonda Roff, who has homes in Broward and Hendry counties.
“I am concerned that the most recent population study that was done by the Fish and Wildlife Commission has too many uncertainties in it,” she said of the aerial surveys done to determine the numbers of manatees.
“For example, there were occasions where the water quality, the surface water was choppy and they were, and they only considered the ability to see through the water from the airplanes to be fair.
Roff also said climate change and degradation of the manatee's habitat should be sufficient to re-classify them as endangered.
“We had a very politically motivated down listing in 2017, as you know, there are a lot of competing interests for manatee habitat. And I don't think that we can assume that other states where manatees travel are really any better,” she said.
“The variables are huge. Human population, the drawdown of groundwater, including for the springs, water quality considerations, agricultural runoff, septic sewer, spills. The quality of forage is compromised by that, as well as herbicide applications to our waters in Florida. Boating hazards are, are growing as the boating community gets bigger.”
“Climate change is a very big deal,” Roff said. “We're looking at increasing harmful algal blooms, including red tides, seagrass losses as a result of that stronger storms perhaps, that are tearing up our seagrass up in the Big Bend region. And then there's the shuttering of the fossil generating stations, which will eliminate the warm water refugia for the manatees in Florida, and how we are going to work with that as the power plants shut down.”
Grant Gelhardt, chair of the conservation committee for the Florida Sierra Club, asked for additional steps to protect manatees because global warming is impacting both seagrass beds and their habitat.
“The loss of seagrass beds over the last decade has been disastrous for the Florida manatee. Also, the need for warm water habitat is critical,” he said. “We encourage that the state and the federal government look into the breaching of the Rodman Dam to open up the Ocklawaha River to manatees to travel up to the spring systems, especially Silver Springs and the 20 submerged springs along the Ocklawaha River.”
