FLORIDA, USA — Just weeks into Florida's feeding program to help save starving manatees, state wildlife officials are saying the sea cows are facing a new challenge.
The recent frigid temperatures that have swept through parts of the Sunshine State are leading to a rise in manatee deaths and experts say they expect numbers to remain high for the duration of winter.
Manatee Research Scientist Martine de Wit says the winter weather the state has seen since mid-January is typical for Florida but cold temperatures paired with the sea cows sub-optimal nutrition is leading to a rise in deaths.
So far, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports 97 manatee deaths for 2022. While not every death is tied to starvation, experts say it is the leading cause.
FWC Joint Unified Command Spokesperson Tom Reinert says the agency has seen an increase of carcasses at the Indian River Lagoon in Brevard County.
The area is deemed a central zone for manatees seeking a habitat for the winter on the Atlantic Coast. It's also being called "ground zero" for the animals' deaths.
Manatees are extremely susceptible to cold weather. Because of that, they typically head to natural springs when temperatures drop. It's common to also see an aggregation of manatees in the Crystal or Homosassa Rivers here on the west coast of Florida.
To help combat the lack of seagrass currently available to manatees, a pilot program is underway to provide romaine lettuce to the sea cows at a test facility.
According to the FWC, staff estimated roughly 785 manatees were near the test facility on Jan. 30 when temps dropped. That number reduced to 570 sea cow visitors when the weather started to warm up.
FWC says staff members will continue to work on recovering manatee carcasses while necropsy teams investigate their health.
According to the FWC's final mortality report, 1,101 manatees died in 2021, compared to the confirmed 637 manatees that died in 2020.
So, why are manatees dying at such high rates off the Atlantic coast? FWC says it is still investigating but that an initial assessment indicated a high number are emaciated due to a decline in seagrass and macroalgae.
"Improving water clarity and light penetration is essential for the restoration of healthy seagrass communities," the state agency's website reads.
Seagrass, like other plants, needs sunlight to grow; but persistent algal blooms have stunted its ability to do so dramatically. As a result, the primary food source for manatees has been scarce.
The Florida manatee is a native species that can be found in multiple waterways across the state. According to FWC, there are an estimated 7,520 to 10,280 manatees statewide today, reclassifying them from an endangered species in 2017.