According to a recent press release, 2009 was a very bad year for the Florida manatee, Trichechus manatus latirostris. In fact, preliminary data indicates 2009 had the highest number of documented manatee deaths on record.
According to biologists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, 419 manatee deaths were documented for 2009. A preliminary report issued last week, revealed that 94 of the manatees that perished during 2009, died as a result of boat strikes, up from the previous year.
The numbers represent preliminary figures from January 1 through December 11, 2009. Records indicate both the number of deaths per county and probable cause of death. Brevard County recorded the highest number of deaths for 2009. Final statistics for 2009 will be released in January, 2010.
Since record keeping began in 1974, the previous record for the highest number of manatee deaths in one year took place in 2006, with 417 deaths. In 2008, 337 manatees perished.
Florida Manatee
The Florida manatee, also called sea cow or gentle giant, is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The mammals can weigh between 900 and 1200 pounds, measure up to 10 feet in length and can live up to 60 years of age. Females are usually heavier and larger than males. Generally solitary, the slow-moving manatee spends most of its day eating vegetation, between 100 and 150 pounds each day!
With no natural enemies, watercraft collisions pose a significant danger to manatees. The gentle creatures are also vulnerable to cold water, flood gates, canal locks, fishing gear and red tide algae. The Florida manatee is federally protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.
Manatee and Calf photo Gaylen Rathburn, USFWS digital library
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