TAMPA, Fla. — Memorial Day weekend is almost here, and that means there will be plenty of boaters out on the water.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and other organizations issued a plea and warning Wednesday, asking people to slow down in manatee safety zones.
“We want to keep everyone safe. Manatees included,” said Jon Wallace with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
FWC, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and other agencies updated their response to the Unusual Mortality Event or UME — a sharp increase in manatee deaths over the past two years.
The deaths are primarily from starvation and malnutrition due to a lack of seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon located on Florida's east coast.
More than 90 manatees are still being treated. Several were rescued just this past week.
“Of this total, 14 animals are considered non-releasable,” FWC’s Amber Howell said. “And the remainder should be able to return after following rehabilitation.”
Wildlife workers say by the end of April, manatees had left the feeding station created at the Florida Power and Light power plant near Cape Canaveral. Most are heading back into their natural habitats and feeding grounds.
“We even have reports of some manatees reaching up into areas into Georgia and spending time there,” FWC’s Ron Mezich said.
The UME team will spend the summer looking at data from its winter-feeding program, which successfully fed congregating manatees lettuce in an effort to keep them from starving. They’ll review what worked, what didn’t and whether they should expand to other locations given some success.
“We aren’t ruling out other locations,” said Mezich, “And we will consider that in our discussions going forward.”
Wildlife workers have seen some seagrass growth, which is considered an encouraging development, but full recovery, they warn, will take years.
As the sea cows return to local waterways for the warmer months the focus now shifts from nourishment — to enforcement.
“We will be out there in force as is always the case with the other big boating weekends, doing boating safety checks, enforcing boating safety, and forcing Manatee protection zones,” FWC Capt. Thomas Van Frees said. “And enforcing speed zones that we believe can really help those manatees in those areas.”
“If you see something, if you see some unusual behavior in manatees, if you see boaters acting irresponsibly, please let FWC know,” said Wallace.
The FWC hotline is 1-888-404-FWCC.
Of the 92 manatees currently in rehabilitation, 76 are being treated in Florida, two are in Georgia. Twelve are in Ohio, one is in Texas, and one is in Puerto Rico.