MANATEES: DEATH RATES SURPASS ENDANGERED SEA COW BIRTHS

Manatees are dying at a faster rate than they are breeding, reported the Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection.

As many as 240 of the endangered mammals died off the coast of Florida last year from accidents with boats, exposure to red tide, disease and other causes (Greenwire, 12/17/97). DEP statistics indicate that manatee deaths in FL have increased an average of 5.8% a year since 1976, while the reproductive rate of the species has only increased by an estimated 2% to 4%.

Scott Wright of the Marine Mammal Pathobiology Laboratory in St, Petersburg, FL, said it is necessary to educate boaters and the public that Florida's waterways provide critical habitat for the manatees. Although he said little can be done to prevent deaths from the toxin-producing algae known as red tide, researchers hope reduced boating speed limits in waterways inhabited by manatees will cut the number of water craft deaths (Neil Santaniello, Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel/Tallahassee Democrat, 1/12).