Manatees

The firing of the only two park rangers to watch over manatees at a federal reserve incensed Kieran Suckling of the Center for Biological Diversity, so he sued.

Florida's manatees will likely remain a threatened species. Federal environmental regulators won't recommended increasing their protections as an endangered species.

A polar vortex that has hit much of the U.S. with ice and snow has dealt a glancing blow to Florida and its manatee population. The manatees have been forced to seek warmer waters as coastal temperatures have dropped.

The proposed rule would keep the Florida manatee as a threatened species, continuing its status since being delisted as endangered in 2017. A public hearing is set for Feb. 26.

Like most Florida residents these days, manatees may not be native to the Sunshine State. A recent study shows the sea cows' arrival may have been fueled by global warming.

A federal judge sided with arguments by an environmental group that wastewater discharges into the Indian River Lagoon led to the demise of seagrass and, as a result, the deaths of manatees. But he also said a trial is needed to determine whether the Florida Department of Environmental Protection violated the Endangered Species Act.

Florida had a record 1,100 manatee deaths in 2021, with the largest number, 358, in Brevard County, the focus of the lawsuit. Many deaths were linked to starvation.

The downtick is expected: the peak of perinatal mortality normally coincides with calving season in late spring/summer, per the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

As Hurricane Milton approaches, Crystal River wildlife researchers and advocates are concerned about how a second hurricane in less than two weeks will further affect manatee habitat.

The lawsuit came after a record 1,100 manatees died in 2021 in Florida, many because a lack of seagrass — a key food source — led to starvation. The most deaths, 358, were in Brevard County, which includes a large part of the Indian River Lagoon.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday announced a plan to more than double the critical habitat designated for manatees in Florida to 1.9 million acres. The revised Florida map adds Silver Springs, Tampa Bay and Withlacoochee Bay.

A federal judge this week refused to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that Florida has violated the Endangered Species Act because of sewage discharges into the Indian River Lagoon that have helped lead to manatee deaths.