Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
Manatee Mortality Event Along The East Coast: 2020-2022
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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service continue to investigate a high level of manatee mortalities and respond to manatee rescues along the Atlantic coast of Florida. Responding to live manatees in need of rescue is a top priority for wildlife agencies and partners from the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership. FWC manatee biologists have been working hard to respond to public reports of distressed manatees and rescue manatees that need assistance (preliminary rescue summaries). The FWC takes manatee conservation seriously by actively implementing science-based conservation measures that are making a difference for manatees and habitat.
The Working Group on Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events has confirmed these manatee mortalities have met the criteria to be an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has declared it an UME. Moving forward, the FWC will continue to coordinate closely with our federal partners, participate in the investigative team, and conduct analyses related to the cause of the UME. Working with these partners, FWC staff will explore both short- and long-term and small- and large-scale response options, including aquatic habitat restoration.
Environmental conditions in portions of the Indian River Lagoon remain a concern. Researchers have attributed this UME to starvation due to the lack of seagrasses in the Indian River Lagoon. In recent years, poor water quality in the Lagoon has led to harmful algal blooms and widespread seagrass loss.
As water temperatures cool this season, manatees are naturally migrating to warmer waters around the state. FWC will continue to closely monitor the situation and work with our partners.
...
https://myfwc.com/research/manatee/rescue-mortality-response/ume/
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FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION
MARINE MAMMAL PATHOBIOLOGY LABORATORY
Preliminary 2022 Manatee Mortality Table by County
From: 01/01/2022 To: 03/04/2022
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Brevard 2 0 1 6 0 50 1 203 263
Broward 1 0 1 0 2 8 1 14 27
Charlotte 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2
Citrus 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 5 7
Collier 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
Franklin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Glades 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2
Hernando 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Hillsborough 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4
Indian River 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 9 10
Lee 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 11 15
Manatee 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
Martin 1 0 1 0 1 3 0 3 9
Miami-Dade 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 4 7
Monroe 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 1 5
Okeechobee 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Palm Beach 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 4 11
Pinellas 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3
Putnam 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Sarasota 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
St. Lucie 1 0 0 1 1 1 2 10 16
Volusia 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 4 10
TOTAL: 10 1 3 10 7 78 11 280 400
https://myfwc.com/media/28362/yeartodate.pdf
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FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION
MARINE MAMMAL PATHOBIOLOGY LABORATORY
2022 Preliminary Manatee Mortality Table with 5-Year Summary
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2022 10 1 3 10 7 78 280 6 5 400
2021 16 0 2 29 15 62 297 6 3 430
2020 15 0 2 14 34 29 29 28 7 158
2019 22 1 3 9 44 16 25 20 9 149
2018 23 1 7 10 60 29 13 26 4 173
2017 15 0 4 14 17 28 5 18 3 104
5-year
average
18 0 3 15 34 32 73 19 5 202
*Necropsy response during 2020-2022 differed from that during the previous years. A larger proportion of carcasses was not
fully necropsied and therefore in/decreases of known cause numbers over the years may not be a true change.
https://myfwc.com/media/28361/preliminary.pdf
https://myfwc.com/research/manatee/rescue-mortality-response/statistics/mortality/2022/
...
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service continue to investigate a high level of manatee mortalities and respond to manatee rescues along the Atlantic coast of Florida. Responding to live manatees in need of rescue is a top priority for wildlife agencies and partners from the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership. FWC manatee biologists have been working hard to respond to public reports of distressed manatees and rescue manatees that need assistance (preliminary rescue summaries). The FWC takes manatee conservation seriously by actively implementing science-based conservation measures that are making a difference for manatees and habitat.
The Working Group on Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events has confirmed these manatee mortalities have met the criteria to be an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has declared it an UME. Moving forward, the FWC will continue to coordinate closely with our federal partners, participate in the investigative team, and conduct analyses related to the cause of the UME. Working with these partners, FWC staff will explore both short- and long-term and small- and large-scale response options, including aquatic habitat restoration.
Environmental conditions in portions of the Indian River Lagoon remain a concern. Researchers have attributed this UME to starvation due to the lack of seagrasses in the Indian River Lagoon. In recent years, poor water quality in the Lagoon has led to harmful algal blooms and widespread seagrass loss.
As water temperatures cool this season, manatees are naturally migrating to warmer waters around the state. FWC will continue to closely monitor the situation and work with our partners.
...
https://myfwc.com/research/manatee/rescue-mortality-response/ume/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION
MARINE MAMMAL PATHOBIOLOGY LABORATORY
Preliminary 2022 Manatee Mortality Table by County
From: 01/01/2022 To: 03/04/2022
...
Brevard 2 0 1 6 0 50 1 203 263
Broward 1 0 1 0 2 8 1 14 27
Charlotte 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2
Citrus 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 5 7
Collier 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
Franklin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Glades 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2
Hernando 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Hillsborough 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4
Indian River 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 9 10
Lee 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 11 15
Manatee 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
Martin 1 0 1 0 1 3 0 3 9
Miami-Dade 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 4 7
Monroe 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 1 5
Okeechobee 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Palm Beach 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 4 11
Pinellas 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3
Putnam 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Sarasota 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
St. Lucie 1 0 0 1 1 1 2 10 16
Volusia 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 4 10
TOTAL: 10 1 3 10 7 78 11 280 400
https://myfwc.com/media/28362/yeartodate.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION
MARINE MAMMAL PATHOBIOLOGY LABORATORY
2022 Preliminary Manatee Mortality Table with 5-Year Summary
...
2022 10 1 3 10 7 78 280 6 5 400
2021 16 0 2 29 15 62 297 6 3 430
2020 15 0 2 14 34 29 29 28 7 158
2019 22 1 3 9 44 16 25 20 9 149
2018 23 1 7 10 60 29 13 26 4 173
2017 15 0 4 14 17 28 5 18 3 104
5-year
average
18 0 3 15 34 32 73 19 5 202
*Necropsy response during 2020-2022 differed from that during the previous years. A larger proportion of carcasses was not
fully necropsied and therefore in/decreases of known cause numbers over the years may not be a true change.
https://myfwc.com/media/28361/preliminary.pdf
https://myfwc.com/research/manatee/rescue-mortality-response/statistics/mortality/2022/
