State wildlife agency reports 2024 manatee boat deaths in Florida.

In 2024, there was an increase in watercraft-related manatee deaths, with 96 sea cows struck and killed by vessels in the Sunshine State.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, commonly known as FWC, has reported that there were 565 manatee deaths documented by the state agency last year, according to a recent article by Chad Gillis of Naples Daily News.

The FWC is tasked with the protection of Florida’s native wildlife and their habitats, and the agency records annual fatalities for species such as the manatee.

The leading two identified causes of death were perinatal deaths and boat collisions. The majority of manatee fatalities remain unverified and unidentified.

According to FWC records, the average number of manatee boat deaths over the past five years is 99.

In 2023, there were 89 recorded boat-related fatalities, alongside 555 manatee carcasses documented by biologists.

Eighty-nine manatee deaths were documented in the waters of Lee County, frequently a location for numerous sea cow fatalities.

However, in 2024, only 10 deaths from Lee were linked to boating incidents.

The cause of 53 manatee deaths in Lee County remains unknown to FWC biologists, as the majority of the animals were not subjected to necropsies.

Nine manatees have been reported dead in Collier in 2024.
A necropsy serves as the animal equivalent of an autopsy, frequently uncovering a precise cause of death.

According to FWC, Collier County recorded nine manatee deaths, three of which resulted from watercraft accidents.

Five of the Collier manatee deaths were confirmed by FWC biologists, although they were not subjected to necropsy.

Pat Rose, president of Save the Manatee Club, stated that FWC has altered its approach to tracking and estimating the manatee population in Florida in recent years.

FWC has developed a statistical method for determining causes of death, rather than relying on aerial surveys, and does not perform necropsies on every animal.

“I would have implemented that program while conducting the larger scale necropsies to ensure accurate validation,” Rose said. “What is the comparison between the predictive model and the circumstances? There is considerably less information, which poses a challenge; however, I comprehend the reasoning behind their decision.”

What is the current population of manatees in Florida?
The FWC reports that the population of manatees in Florida waters ranges from 8,350 to 11,730 individuals.

No one can determine the exact number of manatees that inhabited Florida waters 500 years ago, but Rose suggests that the population then was likely comparable to the current numbers.

“While it’s a misconception that there were ever 100,000 manatees in Florida, I believe the peak population reached around 10,000. However, those numbers significantly declined during severe cold events and specific cycles,” Rose stated. “I truly think it was nearing its peak recovery towards the end of 2009, and then we experienced the significant cold front in 2010 along with harmful algal blooms.”

According to Rose, the manatee population in this region appears to be experiencing fluctuations.

“Southwest Florida had been experiencing a decline, but it may now be showing signs of a slight recovery,” he stated.

Two manatee subpopulations identified by federal authorities
Rose expressed that the recent choice made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to maintain the Florida manatee’s status as threatened was an error, arguing that the federal agency ought to have classified the sea cows of the Sunshine State as endangered.

The FWS proposed to designate the Puerto Rico population, referred to as the Antillean manatee, as endangered.

There exists a Florida manatee and an Antillean manatee, both of which are subspecies of the broader West Indian manatee.

“The Florida manatee was unjustly downlisted in 2017, failing to consider the latest scientific findings, which I believe was an issue at that time,” Rose stated.
Lee County often ranks as one of the leading counties in the state for manatee boat fatalities.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News