For the Florida Manatee it IS a state of emergency

Guest Blog by Staci-lee Sherwood

As long as I can remember, manatees have been in trouble.  For much of the 1970s and 80s, boat strikes were the most common cause of injury and death.  Since 1974  the annual  death rate  has steadily increased every year. Unbelievably Florida and the US Fish and Wildlife agency (USFWS) decided in 2017 this warranted a delisting and removal of legal protection making our beloved manatees more vulnerable to population collapse.  Patrick Rose,  Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club, said: “Despite the fact a majority of their scientific peer reviewers felt that the move was premature from a biological standpoint.”

Despite disturbing trends that included significant habitat loss, USFWS  went ahead with this misguided decision.  In March 2021 a study was published  showing that 55.8% of the Florida manatees sampled  had Glyphosphate, a commonly used herbicide, in their tissue.  A revision of critical habitat was warranted but the Service never revised the manatee’s critical habitat.  In 2013, I wrote my first article about the manatee crisis and wondered how they would survive long term.  In 2018 we were inching closer to extinction with massive pollution problems and seagrass die off and wondered again what it would take to save them. Now it’s 2021 with the worst die off in history. Things are so bad that the few manatees currently in rehab can’t be released because there is no food for them to eat. The calves born this year will all likely die.  Replanting of seagrass earlier this year was a failure.

Due to the extreme crisis we are seeing a revision to the listing of the manatee to return to being listed as ‘endangered’ under the Endangered Species Act . This proposal would afford the manatee full legal protection.  However a law is just words on paper and without any funding and enforcement can be rendered useless. Nevertheless, as long as a law remains on the books there is always potential use. But along with boat strikes newer more insidious dangers have come on the scene in two forms; Red Tide and Cyanobacteria.

Red Tide is thought to be naturally occurring but has become far more frequent and deadly.  While the public calls it ‘red tide’ it’s actually called harmful algal blooms, or HABs, which occur when colonies of algae—simple plants that live in the sea and freshwater—grow out of control while producing toxic effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and birds.  Just what causes them to grow out of control is up for debate though all the dumping of human sewage, oil, pesticides and  agriculture chemicals probably contributes.  This is primarily the problem on the west coast but another danger awaits the manatees on the east coast and it’s called Cyanobacteria.

The east coast is often overwhelmed with Cyanobacteria, often called blue-green algae, which thrives on a recipe of nitrogen, phosphorus and warm water.  These are the chemicals found in fertilizer used on lawns and agricultural which contribute to aquatic “dead zones” in coastal areas from runoff. Since Florida is warm year round, the amount of fertilizer that ends up in the water is more then would be found in colder climates. This means the water is constantly being saturated with toxins.  Added to that  is the huge phosphate mining industry which encompasses over 1 million acres that also leaks into our waterways.

No one really knows the extent of  runoff from mining, lawns and farms but it’s enough to cause almost yearly massive marine life die off which includes fish, sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and manatees. For humans that breathe in the air that surrounds a bloom, touch the water or consume fish from the water, the consequences can be just as deadly. For manatees it has been the nightmare that keeps on giving,

Cyanobacteria is deadly by itself.  Exposure for the manatee comes from breathing in the air near a bloom, swimming in toxic water and eating vegetation growing in it. You’ll know it when you see and smell it. The water takes on a vile smell and a caustic shade of neon green. As if this toxic soup wasn’t enough the state also sprays herbicides on aquatic vegetation.  Among the plants deemed  enemy of  the state is Hydrilla, though Seagrass is the main food source manatees will eat this plant. Despite FWC and the companies they hire knowing this, they spray the poison on these plants anyway.  This not only kills the plants but is deadly for the manatees who eat them.  Now the stage is set for the unprecedented crisis of 2021.

A new study  published in early 2021 sheds more light on the possible causes for the sick and dying manatees.  While 90% of  their food source has  been killed  by spraying, the type of chemicals sprayed is also of grave and confusing concern.  In an ironic twist the most popular herbicide used by FWC is Diquat  dibromide.  The study shows how Bromide molecules detected in Cyanobacteria found on Hydrilla were made  more toxic when sprayed with Diquat  which contains Bromide. This causes the Cyanobacteria blooms to be more dangerous to all living creatures.  Attempts to get an answer from FWC as to why they spray a toxin known to cause the explosion of Cyanobateria have gone unanswered.  The EU banned Diquat and all products containing it in 2018.

All this spraying and dumping has finally bubbled up to where  the die-off is officially classified as an unusual mortality event. But, said Rose: “It has been an unusual event among unusual events. We are talking about three times the mortality that occurs even in years that are affected by red tide and cold stress, in addition to watercraft injuries.”

Now a new cause of death among manatees has emerged: starvation. “Until recently, the availability of food had never been an issue for manatees,” Rose said. “But along stretches of the east coast, including the Indian River Lagoon, we have lost 90 percent of the seagrass.” A whopping 905+ manatees have died  between January and August.  Emergency funding for manatees was introduced back in April, HR 2848 Marine Mammal Research and Response Act of 2021, which would provide funding for more rehab centers and medical supplies among other things needed to keep the manatee alive.  As of August 28^th the bill has stalled in committee and might not even come for a vote till the end of the year.

In ancient times manatees were often mistaken for  mermaids by sailors. Unfortunately for manatees the magical myth of mermaids will not be able to stave off extinction as long as Florida continues down the road of dumping pollutants into the waterways and their addiction to spraying poison continues unfettered.

Ways to help our dying manatees now:

• Contact FWC and request they stop spraying ALL toxic herbicides immediately Matt Phillips email – phillips@myfwc.com. Phone, 850-617-9430  & Michelle Pasawicz admin for manatee program michelle.pasawicz@myfwc.com
• As a US resident call your House of representative and ask they bring HR 2848 to the floor for a vote asap
• If not a US resident you can contact the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and ask she bring If the bill HR 2848 to the floor for a vote phone: (202) 225-4965 or on Twitter  Nancy Pelosi @SpeakerPelosi
• Stop using chemicals on your lawns.
• All sick and injured Manatees should immediately be reported to FWC at 1-888-404-3922
• If you are part of a HoA , educate them about not using herbicides
• All of these tips and more can be found on our website at https://www.savethemanatee.org/how-to-help/take-action/floridas-algae-blooms/

Photos: Thank you to Tim Martell (rescue photos) and Save the Manatee Club (photo of two Manatees underwater).