Researchers ‘optimistic’ that manatees are making a comeback in Florida

Their alternate name of “sea cow” is fitting as manatees are large, slow and gentle creatures that graze. Take a moment to learn about the beautiful creatures on Manatee Appreciation Day.

March 27 is Manatee Appreciation Day and while the number of manatees roaming Florida’s rivers, harbors, and coastline has dwindled in recent years, experts are ‘cautiously optimistic’ that the population is rebounding.

A sighting of nearly 1,000 manatees at Blue Spring State Park on a chilly January morning was the latest sign of a turning point for the gentle giants that have been struggling to survive. 

There is a constant flow of 72-degree F water from the natural springs near Orange City, 30 miles inland from the Atlantic coastline.

The warmer waters bubbling up from the springs, 120 feet below the surface, have made Blue Spring a protected haven for manatees in the winter months; they can face cold stress or other health problems if water temperatures drop below 68 degrees.

Manatee population in jeopardy

Research Associate Cora Berchem said members of Save the Manatee Club have been concerned about natural habitats and vegetation vanishing long before an ‘Unusual Mortality Event’ was declared in 2020.

“We’ve seen a very large die-off of seagrasses and manatees were literally left without a food source, especially along the Indian River Lagoon and the Atlantic Coast of Florida,” said Berchem. “Manatees really have no significant natural predator, so most of what’s happening to them is really human-related.”

Cases of serious boat strikes and red tide blooms impacting manatees have dropped over the past year, but Berchem is worried about other emerging threats to the massive herbivores.

“With more people moving to Florida, there is more of a strain on the groundwater. There’s a lot of pumping from the groundwater. We really need to make sure we don’t over-pump our springs,” said Berchem.

Following a summer of well-above-average sea surface temperatures off the coast of Florida, researchers say the biggest threats manatees now face are impacts linked to extreme weather and our warming atmosphere. 

“We have seen longer and warmer summers, so a lot of manatees have been migrating further out to the Carolinas or Georgia, and the other side of the state, towards Texas. If we have sudden cold spells in these other areas, it’s always a danger for manatees not to make their way back to Florida in sufficient time,” said Berchem. “A lot of people think, if we have warmer waters, that’s going to be great for manatees. That is true, however we’re also seeing stronger storms and stronger hurricanes, which is something that manatees are very sensitive to. They can get displaced during those storm events.”

Glimmers of hope in the water

Florida leaders say investments of nearly $2 billion in water quality improvement projects and manatee protection programs since 2019 are paying off.

“The state is seeing incredible momentum for environmental protection to ensure Florida’s natural resources are preserved for generations to come,” said Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Shawn Hamilton. “Clean, sustainable water resources are critical for Florida’s residents, visitors, economy and manatees.”

Manatee mortality rates in 2023 were the lowest reported since 2017, according to Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Mortality reports show 556 manatee deaths in 2023, compared to the five-year average of 793. FWC data lists watercraft strikes and natural disease as the leading causes of death; 20 percent of mortality cases were linked to a red tide bloom in southwest Florida.

Distressed manatees rescued and rehabilitated are getting a second chance at life in the wild, in protected habitats like Blue Spring State Park. One of the newest residents, named ‘Lizard’ is now roaming the waters of St. Johns River, after being rescued from the Atlantic Coast.

“Lizard looks amazing; this is the second time she’s been released. She was orphaned in 2021. We’re not really sure what happened to her mom, but she was found without her mom for an extended period of time, said SeaWorld Animal Care Specialist Nik Ricci. “After that release, it seemed like she wasn’t finding food the right way, so she got a little bit too skinny. She got rescued again; this time we brought her up to SeaWorld, and we continued that rehabilitation. After about a year, she looks great and is ready to come back out here.”

Ricco told AccuWeather there’s a reason why rescued manatee names are becoming more unique, peculiar, and ironic.

“Naming manatees is very challenging. Anytime that any of us either rescue a manatee or track a manatee, it's going to get a name, and we can't double-name, so we have to be very creative,” joked Ricco.

More than 140 manatees were rescued throughout Florida last year.

Before the 600-pound manatee was unloaded from a SeaWorld truck and carried to the edge of the water by nine volunteers and researchers, one member attached a GPS tracker to ‘Lizard’s’ tail.

The FWC says trackers provide critical information about the location and travel patterns of manatees recovering from injuries or rebounding from emaciation.

“We are really optimistic about her chances; we’re hoping that she’s going to pair up with another animal, be able to find that food, and learn how to stay in the warm water,” said Ricci.  “They just kind of like to make a new friend; hang out for a little bit, and then go and find another new friend. They’re very interesting animals, very laid back.”

Fighting for a better future

Despite a surge in manatee sightings in Florida’s springs and rivers during cold spells this winter, experts say their mission to protect manatees is far from over.

Save the Manatee Club members are worried about hundreds of manatees that rely on warm water discharge from power plants across the Sunshine State.

“It’s really important to protect these habitats, because more manatees may be relying on them in the future. They thought the carrying capacity for Blue Spring would be somewhere around 200 or 400 manatees,” said Berchem. “Obviously, we have way surpassed that. What we need to do is really make sure there’s enough food sources in the area. In the future, when we have power plants potentially going offline, it’s going to be really difficult to ween those manatees off those powerplants and use these natural springs.”

More distressed manatees rescued and rehabilitated are being released near springs rather than returned and released in the location where they were found.

“One of the things that’s currently in the works is releasing some of these manatees that were rescued as small calves on the Atlantic coast here, so they’re imprinting on this habitat,” Berchem told AccuWeather along the banks of the St. Johns River. “Just because the mortality is down; we have seen some regrowth of the seagrass, but all of that is really a long way to go. Just because it’s looking better for a couple of months, we really need to continue that work to make sure its long term.”

Specialists at SeaWorld said the best thing Florida families and tourists can do to help manatees is to slow down when boating on rivers, obey no wake zones, stop littering near waterways, and publicly support conservation efforts.

“Seagrass is very depleted, so that has been a challenge with manatees. We’ve had a lot of emaciated manatees. We are currently still in an ‘Unusual Mortality Event’ because of that lack of food, said Ricci. “That is why anything we as humans can do to help protect our environment, help clean our environment, allow that seagrass to regrow, that allows the manatees to come back in; that’s a great sign that things are moving in the right direction.”

Reporting by Bill Wadell

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