ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Environmental groups say Florida’s manatees are dying at a record rate and need federal protection for their seaside habitat.
The groups filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in Washington. The suit asks a judge to set deadlines for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to finalize regulations to update the critical habitat designation for manatees.
The lawsuit contends the wildlife agency dragged its heels on the critical habitat designation despite the groups' attempt to get it done in 2008.
Manatees are extremely susceptible to cold weather. Because of that, they typically head to natural springs when temperatures drop. It's common to see an aggregation of manatees in the Crystal or Homosassa Rivers here on the west coast of Florida.
In 2010, the Center for Biological Diversity said the wildlife agency agreed that the "loss of Florida’s warm-water habitats is one of the leading threats facing the manatee population." More than a decade later, the group says the need to protect aquatic vegetation has only made revising the federal protections more urgent.
More than 1,100 manatees died in Florida last year. Pollution from agricultural, urban and other sources triggers algae blooms, killing the seagrass on which manatees depend.