Encouraging news! Following a devastating record year of manatee deaths in 2021, a record number of manatees was counted at Central Florida’s Blue Spring State Park on Sunday. Staff there counted 932 on Sunday, which is nearly 200 more than their previous record of 736 that was counted on New Year’s Day this year.
In 2021, 1,101 manatee deaths were recorded in Florida, far higher than any other year on record. The deaths represented almost 15 percent of the state’s total manatee population. The manatees died primarily of starvation. For nourishment, manatees rely mainly on sea grass, beds of which have been smothered by pollutants along with outbreaks of toxic algae blooms intensified by climate change.
In 2022 and 2023, Florida saw a resurgence of the growth of sea grass, supported by an emergency manatee feeding program by Florida wildlife officials.
Manatee deaths dropped to 800 in 2022 and 555 in 2023.