Seagrass and Manatee Deaths: How You Can Help

Manatees are herbivores, feeding on both marine and freshwater aquatic vegetation. For their protection, please don't feed them. Help spread this message!

Save the Manatee Club has received many calls, comments, and questions in regard to the loss of seagrass and increased manatee deaths in Florida's Indian River Lagoon (IRL). We wanted to let you know more about the issue and ask for your help. 

As the direct result of human derelictions over many decades, the IRL has suffered a series of harmful algal blooms, leading to massive losses in seagrass coverage. During the 2020-2021 winter season, there has been very little seagrass or vegetation for manatees to eat in the immediate vicinity of warm water locations along the IRL, leading to many manatees suffering from malnutrition. During the cold of the winter, traveling further for forage would mean deadly exposure to cold water, so the manatees ultimately choose to forgo feeding over dying from the cold.

The news about manatees losing food resources and dying is upsetting, and we must do everything possible to avoid the repeat of this terrible dilemma for manatees. However, with warming weather, manatees are now able to make their way to other diverse natural forage sites. Some people want to take it into their own hands and mobilize to feed wild manatees, but this is NOT the best solution at this time and would actually interfere with the manatees’ need to leave the area for better forage sites, potentially doing more harm than good over the long term. Any “feeding events” on social media have not been approved by state or federal government.

What's most important is to make sure that any manatees in immediate danger of starvation are rescued and given the intense care they require. Even though most manatees that are malnourished can swim to natural sources of food now that the weather is getting warmer in Florida, we must remain ever vigilant and secure sufficient places for every manatee too sick to make the journey. We must also monitor the health of the manatee population over the coming months and secure sufficient facilities to rescue and care for those manatees this coming winter before they succumb to malnutrition or other illnesses and avoid another preventable die-off by through proper contingency planning.

What You Can Do:

• Report distressed, sick, injured or dead manatees at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) or use VHF Channel 16 on your marine radio. You can also download the free FWC Reporter App on your smartphone or tablet.

• If you see posts on social media about feeding events or other efforts to hand-feed manatees, please share the following reminder:
  
  While feeding manatees may seem like a quick solution, giving manatees food teaches them to associate people and boats with handouts. This action changes their behavior, making them more likely to approach people or fast-moving boats that could harm them. Plus it is illegal. Water temperatures are warming in Florida, and manatees are dispersing to find food elsewhere but are also more prone to encounter boats, so please don't feed them and get them used to people and/or boats.

• Please click the following link to write to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and urge him to support the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in its role as the lead coordinator of the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership.

• You can also click the following link to urge President Biden to press the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to do more to come to the aid of manatees and the Indian River Lagoon. Click the following link to contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and ask them to investigate the situation in the Indian River Lagoon and develop contingency plans to avoid future mortality events.

• Write to your elected officials and voice your concerns. Find your U.S. representative as well as your U.S. senators. Urge them to ask the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to investigate the situation in the Indian River Lagoon.

• Donate to help sick and injured manatees by contributing to our Emergency Rescue Fund.

• Learn more about this issue and other actions you can take to help.
  
  

Thank you as always for your support for manatees!