Manatees Sick From Red Tide Exposure Rescued In Southwest Florida: FWC

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA — Elevated red tide levels throughout Southwest Florida are starting to affect the wildlife.

Not only have a number of fish kills from Collier to Manatee counties been reported to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission over the past month, but manatee have also been affected by the toxic algae blooms.

Over the past week, the FWC has rescued three manatees likely sick from red tide exposure, the agency recently tweeted.

• Also Read: Lethargic Manatee Rescued From Sarasota Waters: FWC

On Sunday, FWC officers worked with Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Sarasota to rescue a lethargic manatee in Holmes Beach that was suspected of falling ill because of red tide. The animal, which also had a watercraft wound across its tail, was taken to ZooTampa for rehabilitation, FWC said.

That same day, another lethargic and unresponsive manatee sick from red tide was rescued near St. James City on Pine Island. That animal was brought to SeaWorld for treatment, according to the agency.

And last Friday, FWC staff rescued another manatee suspected of being sick from red tide in Englewood, Carly Jones, a spokesperson for the agency, told Patch.

This animal was “observed surfacing vertically in the water," and was also brought to SeaWorld for rehabilitation, FWC tweeted.

"Both the Englewood and St. James City manatees displayed classic red tide intoxication symptoms, but the Holmes Beach one is not definitively red tide," Jones said.

Karenia brevis, the single-celled organism that causes red tide, produces brevetoxins that affect the nervous system of fish and other vertebrates.

Manatees often accidentally ingest red tide by eating seagrass with epiphytes — such as small crustaceans and barnacles — growing on the blades, according to the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension program. During red tide blooms, epiphytes remove red tide cells from the water.

Once consumed, these toxins can poison manatees. The animals can also breathe in red tide toxins.

Manatees sickened by red tide might lose control of their motor function and suffer symptoms similar to a seizure, UF said. This could cause them to die, as they might mistakenly inhale water while convulsing.

Dead, sick, injured or distressed manatees can be reported to the FWC Wildlife Hotline at 888-404-3922.