A record number of manatees have died in Florida waters this year, with 841 manatees dying off the Florida coast in the six months between January 1 and July 2, possibly as a result of starvation. Florida The last deadliest period for manatees was in 2013, when the main cause of their deaths was red tides toxic substances secreted by algae .
This year, most manatee deaths occurred during the colder months, when they are migrating to the Indian River Lagoon. The Indian River Lagoon is located southeast of Orlando on Florida's east coast and consists of three independent small lagoons. By the time the manatees migrated there, most of the seagrass in the lagoon, which was the manatees' main food, had died, thus creating a famine. The seagrass die-off may be linked to increased water pollution in Florida. Domestic and industrial sewage leads to increased levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in water bodies, a condition known as water eutrophication. Eutrophication of water bodies can easily lead to algae reproduction. .
Since 2011, algae that have accumulated on the surface of the ocean have significantly reduced the water’s transparency, reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the seafloor. Seagrass living on the seabed must rely on photosynthesis to grow and therefore die on a large scale. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has been working with other organizations, universities and government agencies in hopes of improving the situation and restoring manatee habitat.
