As The Florida Manatee Population Continues To Rapidly Decline, People Are Pushing For Them To Be Protected By The Endangered Species Act
Florida manatees are large, lovable aquatic mammals that grow to be about ten feet long and weigh around one thousand pounds.
But, this subspecies of the West Indian manatee is seriously struggling. In 2021 alone, over one thousand and one hundred Florida manatees perished due to challenges posed by pollution and climate change.
And this year, the death toll is already at six hundred and thirty-one due to the same causes.
Florida manatees are reliant on seagrass as their main food source. But, farm fertilizer and residential development pollution has been killing off swaths of the grass for decades.
This has forced many manatees to travel into colder climates in search of food. However, this trek is often a fatal one– as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported triple the number of manatee fatalities last year after a cold front hit the state.
Manatees cannot survive in the cold because, contrary to popular belief, manatees do not have insulating blubbers like seals or whales. In fact, they are only chubby and round because they have large digestive tracts in order to process their vegetarian diet.
In turn, many environmental experts have cited the manatee crisis as a gruesome choice of fate.
“Manatees are going to have to make a horrible life or death choice– between dying sooner by having to go out in the cold or staying warm and starving,” said Patrick Rose, the executive director of Save the Manatee Club.
So now, the Center for Biological Diversity has launched a Change.org petition directed to the United States Fish & Wildlife Service that is pleading for action.
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“Manatees are a keystone species. When they thrive, other plants and animals benefit, too. When they are in trouble, it is a powerful warning about the fate of Florida’s aquatic ecosystems. The spike in manatee deaths is ecocide– it has to stop now,” the petition said.
In turn, the Center is urging the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to uplist Florida’s manatee status to “endangered” in order to guarantee their survival.
“Manatees are currently listed as ‘threatened,’ but it is clear they urgently need the full power of the Endangered Species Act,” the petition continued.
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) would outlaw the import, export, possession, sale, or transport of any manatees. Moreover, the ESA would designate protected land as a “critical habitat” in order for the manatee population to recover and expand. The destruction of this critical habitat would thereafter be prohibited and punishable via citizen suits, imprisonment, fines, and forfeiture.
And so far, just over eight thousand and five hundred petitioners have signed on to support the Florida manatees’ new designation as an endangered species.
“They are amazing creatures who do not have a way to defend themselves. They need human help and intervention,” wrote one petitioner, Stephanie Potter.
“I have kayaked and swam with these amazing creatures, and their existence is integral to coastal ecosystems in Florida. As much as this is about protecting a beautiful animal, it is also about ensuring the health of Florida’s rivers and the tourism that these rivers bring,” wrote another petitioner, Cameron Scott.
To learn more about the petition, show your support, or remain updated on its progress, you can visit the link here.
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