FWC Update on East Coast Manatee Mortality Event

With both cooler air and water temperatures throughout the state, manatees continue to gather in large numbers at many warm water sites. This week, staff estimated there were almost 400 manatees in the supplemental feeding trial area of the Temporary Field Response Station in the Indian River Lagoon. Because this trial effort is a management action that has not been attempted before, we do not know how much vegetation individual manatees will consume. One of the goals of this action is to reduce manatee mortality. It will not eliminate it. Unfortunately, with the cooler temperatures, staff are seeing a rise in the number of manatee carcasses. Staff continue to work on manatee carcass recovery operations in coastal waterways. Necropsy teams are investigating manatee health through sampling of select carcasses. The majority of manatee carcasses continue to be in the East Central and Southeast Florida regions. Staff continue to focus on rescuing animals in need of assistance. They are also working with the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership to release rehabilitated manatees into suitable habitat, which will free up room for recently rescued animals at critical care facilities. To learn more visit our website.