Florida Manatee Count Numbers Up Again

TALLAHASSEE, FL — The number of manatees counted during a statewide survey is up again over last year’s record-breaking figures.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released preliminary results of this year’s count on Thursday. The agency said that a team of 16 observers from 11 different organizations counted 3,292 manatees on the state’s east coast and 2,958 on the west coast.

“This year’s count of 6,250 manatees is similar to last year’s count of 6,063,” the agency reported. “Both years had very good survey conditions and 2015 and 2016 were the only two years on record for which the count has exceeded 6,000 individuals.”

See Also:

• Fed Pitch Downgraded Manatee Protection
• Watch: Manatees Parade Into Three Sisters Springs

The aerial surveys are conducted each year, weather permitting, to help researchers gauge Florida’s manatee population. Only those manatees visible in the state’s waters at the time of the survey are counted.

“The survey is flown during the cold weather, providing broad-scale information about manatee distribution among warm-water sites that the species requires to survive,” Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute Director Gil McRae said in a statement.

This year’s count results were released on the heels of a public hearing staged in the Orlando area last Saturday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. That agency is considering downgrading the federal protection status of the creatures from endangered to threatened.

While those in boating industry and some developers have championed a downgrading in status, others are staunchly opposed to the idea. The federal agency announced its decision to recommend the downgrade earlier this year, receiving criticism from manatee protection groups and U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, F-Florida, among others.

While the estimated manatee population has grown in recent years, Buchanan and conservationists contend the state’s manatee population does not represent a high enough number to loosen restrictions.

“But at only 6,000, it defies common sense to view these animals as unworthy of protection,” Buchanan wrote in a Jan. 7 letter to Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Buchanan’s letter implores Ashe to rethink the decision.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service defines an endangered species as any species that is in danger of extinction. A threatened species is one that is likely to become endangered.

The reclassification to threatened status would still leave a number of protections in place for manatees, but it could also ultimately lead to an easing of boating restrictions meant to protect the creatures.

A final decision on the downgrade has yet to be made. Public comment can be made on the issue until April 7. More information about the proposed reclassification can be found on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

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