ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida manatees are dying at an alarming rate in the first two months of 2021, more than tripling the normal amount of fatalities seen during the same period over the last five years.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has posted in its preliminary manatee mortality statistics that from Jan. 1-Feb. 26, the state has recorded 403 manatee deaths, the majority of which have not had a necropsy to determine cause of death. Brevard County by far leads the way with 186 of those deaths.
The five-year average for the same time period is 129 manatee deaths.
The FWC said it was investigating the high mortality in the central and south Atlantic coastal regions of Florida. Most of the deaths are occurring in the Indian River Lagoon.
“Environmental conditions in portions of the Indian River Lagoon remain a concern,” the FWC posted on its manatee program site. “Preliminary information indicates that a reduction in food availability is a contributing factor. We will continue with a comprehensive investigation and share information as it becomes available. The FWC has always done a rigorous and thorough job at investigating threats to manatees.”
