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Manatee deaths may set new record this year after boat collisions, red tide
Chad Gillis, Fort Myers News-PressPublished 4:58 p.m. ET Dec. 20, 2018
Florida manatees number over 6,000 and are the official marine mammal of the Sunshine State.Wochit
A nasty red tide and boat collisions have combined for what could be the deadliest year on record for Florida manatees.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lists 790 overall documented sea cow deaths through Dec. 14.
That's 16 shy of the all-time record of 806, set in 2013.
With two weeks still left to be documented, there's a chance this could be the most deadly year on record.
"We’re looking at the second most red tide deaths in a year, or it could even be a record for red tide for this year," said Martine Dewit, a veterinarian for the Florida Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg. "For this population to continue to experience these events is a concern."
Other causes of death include unknown, undetermined, natural and perinatal, or death during birth.
Confirmed or suspected red tide manatee deaths stand now at 208, which is second on record to 2013 (277).
More: Manatees making annual migration to warmer waters
More: Rescue network saves sick manatees, sea turtles from toxic red tide
"It really was the red tide," Dewit said of the high numbers of manatee deaths. "There’s one thing that I think is important is that with the red tide, what we have is a very rough number and does not include the carcasses that were verified but not necropsied."
There were so many dead animals washing up on local beaches this summer that Dewit and others were simply overwhelmed.
"It was such a large event that we could not get to all carcasses," she said. "It’s challenging to get to them all because this year (the red tide bloom) was 130 miles of coastline."
Hundreds of sea turtles, dolphins, fish of all sorts and even a whale shark died and washed up on local beaches during the height of the bloom this past summer.
Manatees are often referred to as the gentle giant of the ocean. There are three species of manatees found in the world: the West African, the Amazonian, and the West Indian. Wochit
Millions of pounds of dead wildlife was collected from Lee County beaches in just a few weeks in August.
Red tide manatee deaths are listed as natural or undetermined by the FWC, the state agency charged with protecting the species.
This year has already seen more boat collisions than any past year, with 118 confirmed boating deaths.
"We know we had a bad mortality year for them," said Kelly Richmond, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "We’re not tone-deaf. We had lots of mortalities from red tide, cold spells and boat strikes."
More: Dead manatees pose big challenge for red tide-choked shorelines, as wildlife agency tries to keep pace
More: Dead manatee found on Sanibel Island shore amid toxic algae crisis
Lee County typically is among the top counties in the state when it comes to deadly boat collisions.
Final FWC manatee numbers for 2018 are expected to be released early next year.
A higher number of deaths can sometimes mean there are simply more animals across the landscape.
Earlier this week the FWC released a report that says there may be as many as 10,000 manatees living in Florida waters.
That report was an estimation and will be followed by an aerial count later this year or early next year.
Chad Gillis, Fort Myers News-PressPublished 4:58 p.m. ET Dec. 20, 2018
Florida manatees number over 6,000 and are the official marine mammal of the Sunshine State.Wochit
A nasty red tide and boat collisions have combined for what could be the deadliest year on record for Florida manatees.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lists 790 overall documented sea cow deaths through Dec. 14.
That's 16 shy of the all-time record of 806, set in 2013.
With two weeks still left to be documented, there's a chance this could be the most deadly year on record.
"We’re looking at the second most red tide deaths in a year, or it could even be a record for red tide for this year," said Martine Dewit, a veterinarian for the Florida Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg. "For this population to continue to experience these events is a concern."
Other causes of death include unknown, undetermined, natural and perinatal, or death during birth.
Confirmed or suspected red tide manatee deaths stand now at 208, which is second on record to 2013 (277).
More: Manatees making annual migration to warmer waters
More: Rescue network saves sick manatees, sea turtles from toxic red tide
"It really was the red tide," Dewit said of the high numbers of manatee deaths. "There’s one thing that I think is important is that with the red tide, what we have is a very rough number and does not include the carcasses that were verified but not necropsied."
There were so many dead animals washing up on local beaches this summer that Dewit and others were simply overwhelmed.
"It was such a large event that we could not get to all carcasses," she said. "It’s challenging to get to them all because this year (the red tide bloom) was 130 miles of coastline."
Hundreds of sea turtles, dolphins, fish of all sorts and even a whale shark died and washed up on local beaches during the height of the bloom this past summer.
Manatees are often referred to as the gentle giant of the ocean. There are three species of manatees found in the world: the West African, the Amazonian, and the West Indian. Wochit
Millions of pounds of dead wildlife was collected from Lee County beaches in just a few weeks in August.
Red tide manatee deaths are listed as natural or undetermined by the FWC, the state agency charged with protecting the species.
This year has already seen more boat collisions than any past year, with 118 confirmed boating deaths.
"We know we had a bad mortality year for them," said Kelly Richmond, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "We’re not tone-deaf. We had lots of mortalities from red tide, cold spells and boat strikes."
More: Dead manatees pose big challenge for red tide-choked shorelines, as wildlife agency tries to keep pace
More: Dead manatee found on Sanibel Island shore amid toxic algae crisis
Lee County typically is among the top counties in the state when it comes to deadly boat collisions.
Final FWC manatee numbers for 2018 are expected to be released early next year.
A higher number of deaths can sometimes mean there are simply more animals across the landscape.
Earlier this week the FWC released a report that says there may be as many as 10,000 manatees living in Florida waters.
That report was an estimation and will be followed by an aerial count later this year or early next year.
