56 manatees have died so far in Florida waters, including one in Franklin County.
The number of deaths is up from 39 last January, but far below January of 2021 when 97 manatees died in Florida waters.
Boat strikes killed at least 3 manatees last month.
Another 10 died at birth or shortly afterward.
Cold stress killed 8 more and 29 deaths were by unknown causes.
There has been one recorded manatee death in Franklin County this year.
It was found in the Apalachicola Bay on January the 10th; the cause of death is not known.
There have been no manatee deaths listed so far in Gulf or Wakulla Counties.
It is estimated that about 7500 manatees live in Florida waters.
The manatee was once classified as endangered by the federal government, but it was reclassified as threatened in 2017.
If boaters took a few simple precautions, the number of manatee deaths could be cut substantially.
Precautions include abiding by posted boat speed limits, staying in marked channels, and wearing polarized sunglasses while boating to give you improved vision.
Also don’t boat over grass flats or areas where manatees congregate.
If you find a sick or injured manatee you should report it to the Florida Wildlife Alert Hot line at 888-404-3922.
The number of deaths is up from 39 last January, but far below January of 2021 when 97 manatees died in Florida waters.
Boat strikes killed at least 3 manatees last month.
Another 10 died at birth or shortly afterward.
Cold stress killed 8 more and 29 deaths were by unknown causes.
There has been one recorded manatee death in Franklin County this year.
It was found in the Apalachicola Bay on January the 10th; the cause of death is not known.
There have been no manatee deaths listed so far in Gulf or Wakulla Counties.
It is estimated that about 7500 manatees live in Florida waters.
The manatee was once classified as endangered by the federal government, but it was reclassified as threatened in 2017.
If boaters took a few simple precautions, the number of manatee deaths could be cut substantially.
Precautions include abiding by posted boat speed limits, staying in marked channels, and wearing polarized sunglasses while boating to give you improved vision.
Also don’t boat over grass flats or areas where manatees congregate.
If you find a sick or injured manatee you should report it to the Florida Wildlife Alert Hot line at 888-404-3922.
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