Too many are still dying
But did these “unprecedented acts” actually achieve anything? When asked by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, a spokesman said the mass deaths of manatees were “an ongoing event”. Current manatee mortality statistics range from January 1, 2022 to December 2, 2022. During that time, 760 manatees died, fewer than the previous year, but still a significant amount. Would it have been worse without the supplemental feeding? “This is the subject of an ongoing investigation,” the authority said.
The quick fix that many people in Florida want probably won’t exist. That’s how you see it Quinton White, director of the Marine Research Institute of Jacksonville University. The marine biologist has been researching manatees for 35 years and has participated in several censuses. “Everyone loves these animals here,” he says. »You are ugly yet cute, super sweet and very charismatic. « However, it is not easy to ensure your existence. “Here we are dealing with a very complex problem. It will take years for stocks to recover. « In addition to cold water and lack of food, marine plastic causes big problems for manatees: »They eat it every day and we cannot yet predict how this will affect them in the long term, «he explains White. »There is no immediate solution.«
© Steve Przybilla (detail)
Who’s Who? | In his notebook, conservationist Wayne Hartley meticulously lists all the characteristics of the manatees at Blue Spring State Park. Shipwreck scars are often the most prominent distinguishing feature.
However, he believes the feeding campaign has already improved the situation. At least one bit’. “The authorities have done a good job there. They even threw their food behind a tarp so the manatees couldn’t see people.” In this way, animal rights activists wanted to prevent the manatees from making too much impression on people and other boating accidents from happening in the future. Because while most manatees died of malnutrition in the winter months, boating accidents were once again the most common cause of death from July to September 2022. That’s according to Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission autopsy statistics .
There are no plans to feed the animals again in 2022. White expects the existing algae to be sufficient this winter. “There just aren’t that many animals anymore. That’s why they have to share less food,” says the marine biologist. That makes experts cautiously optimistic, even if the decline in animals is obviously no reason for rejoicing. “When I started my research 35 years ago, the manatee was nearly extinct.” , recalls White. Thanks to numerous environmental initiatives, better education and larger conservation zones, the population has developed unexpectedly well. “Why shouldn’t we succeed in this breakthrough again?”
More people, less manatees
Conservationist Wayne Hartley also hopes the manatees will once again prove resilient. “More people, fewer manatees,” is his calculation. Visitors can also swim, dive, fish and paddle in the Blue Spring Conservation Area – there are only a few no-go areas reserved for manatees and researchers like him. However, the warm water from the springs still provides many manatees with a safe haven. “We have more than 800 manatees here,” Wayne says. Unfortunately, the cute little animals are not the most intelligent creatures: “Some of them froze to death a few meters from a power station that heated the water in the lagoon. They just didn’t know where the hot spot was.”
© Steve Przybilla (detail)
“Manatee sanctuary. No swimming behind the barrier.« | Some areas of Blue Spring State Park in Florida are reserved for manatees and researchers.
The longer the 79-year-old paddles through the hot and humid state park, the more of an attraction he becomes himself. From the shore, tourists take photos, not just of him: they set up tripods to best capture the colossal marine mammals. But the manatees don’t show up, and that’s a good sign. “It’s not cold enough on the East Coast for them to have to swim here,” Hartley says.
