Florida Manatee Count Tops 6,600

TALLAHASSEE, FL — For the third year in a row, Florida’s annual count of its manatee population topped 6,000. Those responsible for the 2017 count, in fact, found 6,620 sea cows living in waters throughout the Sunshine State.

“Successful conservation of manatees is a product of the commitment made by many different organizations over multiple decades,” said Gil McRae, the head of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research institute. “The relatively high counts we have seen for the past three years underscore the importance of warm water habitat to manatees in Florida.”

The state conducts annual aerial surveys to gauge the size of the manatee population. This year, a team of 15 people from 10 different organizations were deployed to conduct the count, FWC reported Monday. A total of 3,488 manatees were found on the state’s east coast while another 3,132 were found along the west coast.

Last year, observers found 6,250 manatees swimming in the state’s waters. The east coast had 3,292 manatees while 2,958 were found along the west coast.

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“The survey is flown during the cold weather, providing broad-scale information about manatee distribution among warm-water sites that the species requires to survive,” McRae explained last year.

Florida’s manatees were first listed as a federal endangered species in 1966. The creatures are also protected under the state’s Manatee Sanctuary Act. The federal government last year moved to downgrade manatees’ protection status from endangered to threatened. The reclassification to threatened status would still leave a number of protections in place for manatees, but it could also ultimately lead to an easing of boating restrictions meant to protect the creatures.

More information about the proposed reclassification can be found on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website. More information about manatees can also be found on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s website.

While manatee’s have a range that extends from the southeastern United States to the Greater Antilles, they are synonymous with Florida. The creatures are found in bodies of water scattered across the state during warmer months. When temperatures drop, they tend to gravitate toward the state’s warm-water springs and power plant discharge basins, according to FWC.

The 2017 count is good news McRae said, but it doesn’t mean the work to conserve and protect the species is finished.

“The FWC will continue to work diligently with our many partners to ensure the long-term viability of (manatee) habitats and the well-being of the manatee population,” he said.

People who want to support manatee research and conservation efforts may do so by buying a manatee license plate or manatee decal online. The state also asks that anyone who encounters a dead or distressed manatee call FWC at 888-404-3922.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission