Florida manatee deaths decline, but starvation threat looms: report

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Manatee comes ashore to eat grass

Raw video: Cellphone footage captures the moment a manatee came ashore to feast on grass in Port St. Lucie.

There have been fewer manatee deaths this year in Florida, but officials warn that starvation is a serious threat to the marine animal.

Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission published a 2022 Preliminary Manatee Mortality Report, which has 631 manatee deaths on record this year so far.

That’s a near 27% decrease from what the state recorded in 2021 – if numbers stay the same.

The deaths were divided into nine categories: watercraft collisions, flood gate or lock accidents, other human causes, perinatal, cold water stress, natural, not necropsied, undetermined and undetermined other.

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While fewer manatees have died in 2022 and the state population is believed to be around 7,520, experts say these aquatic mammals are having a hard time finding seagrass, which is a staple in their herbivore diet.

A group of manatees swim in a canal in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Dec. 28, 2010. The aquatic mammal can swim in fresh water and salt water. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Pollution is said to be the culprit that’s killing off marine plants in Florida waters.

Martine de Wit, a marine mammal veterinarian at the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, told the Associated Press (AP) that she’s seen evidence of starvation in necropsied manatees.

"There is not enough high-quality food for the animals," she said. "It’s going to be long-lasting. It’s going to be years before you can measure the real effect."

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Healthy manatees eat about one-tenth of their body weight in seagrass each day, according to the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

So, a 1,000-pound manatee could eat 100 pounds per day.

Manatees are mostly herbivorous and feed on seagrass. Conservationists, including those from the Homosassa River Restoration Project, plant seagrass in the area to help restore the natural habitat for manatees and provide a feeding ground for the mammals, following a record year in manatee deaths in Florida. The deaths were primarily from starvation due to the loss of seagrass beds. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Wildlife officials estimate that 1,100 manatees died from starvation in 2021 in central Florida and the state’s Indian River System. These deaths are not reflected in the FWC’s mortality report.

The state agency responded to the crisis by launching a feeding program known as the Marine Mammal Fund. 

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Residents and donors from around the world purchased lettuce for hungry manatees. The FWC distributed the food during the winter – which is the season when seagrass tends to become scarce. 

More than 202,000 pounds of lettuce were donated last year, according to the AP.

Approximately 7,500 manatees frequent Florida waters. (REUTERS/Scott Audette)

Tom Reinert, a regional director for the FWC, told the news outlet that he thinks the feeding program had a positive effect.

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He said, "We’re working day in and day out to make sure we’re prepared for next winter."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.