Protecting the Manatees

Jimmy Buffett once said, “You can’t but help like a manatee. And their only predators are people who aren’t aware of the problem.”

That ‘problem’ is manatees’ survival.

There are three manatee species (West Indian, West African, and Amazonian), and all are vulnerable to extinction. Predominantly, the threats to manatees’ survival are a loss of habitat and their primary food source (seagrasses), collisions with boats, and harmful algal blooms (“red tide”).

Only one manatee is native to the waters of the United States: a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris).

The manatee was first added to the endangered species list in 1973, though the status of the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) was delisted from endangered to threatened in 2017.  Regardless, the Florida population has never fully recovered, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently considering restoring the West Indian manatee’s endangered status.

A year after the manatee was downlisted to threatened status, Florida suffered an unprecedented “red tide” event that killed nearly 300 manatees. A red tide is caused by an excess of the naturally-occurring marine plankton Karenia brevis, and manatees ingesting or inhaling K. brevis may suffer seizures and drown.

Since the manatee was first added to the endangered species list, Florida’s human population has nearly tripled. The resulting proliferation of coastal development has contributed to the pollution of waterways and the destruction of many seagrass beds.

Seagrass is one of manatees’ favorite foods, and aquatic vegetation grows in relatively shallow, clear waters.  While feeding, manatees will surface every three to five minutes to breathe, inevitably putting themselves at risk of propellor strikes- the most common cause of human-related deaths to the manatee.

Many of the manatee critical areas are pending federal protection, though the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has committed to revising the critical habitat for the manatee by September 12, 2024.

How does Marine Conservation Institute contribute to manatee protection?

Marine Conservation Institute prioritizes the establishment of marine protected areas to conserve critical habitats such as seagrass beds where manatees can thrive. We work with communities and managers to ensure the highest standards for MPAs are achieved using our Blue Park Standard (highly protected areas that achieve robust conservation).

What can you do to help the manatee?

1. Support legislation that aims to protect the manatee.
2. Donate to organizations that are working to create and manage marine protected areas.
3. If you’re a boater, stay aware! Follow best practices when operating around manatee zones:

• Operate at idle speeds when transiting marked manatee zones.
• Wear polarized sunglasses.
• LOOK and LISTEN for signs of manatees in the water.

4. If you share a habitat with manatees, or visit areas where manatees reside, report any unusual behavior to the local authorities.

In the words of Jimmy Buffett, “Developing public awareness is our greatest asset in solving the problem of the manatee.”