Scientists uncover alarming new threat to survival of gentle Florida manatee: 'Worsens their physical health'

Despite not having any natural predators, the slow-moving Florida manatee is facing major threats to its survival.

Such threats occur due to collisions with vessels, uncontrolled algae growth from water pollution, cold stress, and contact with debris.

What's happening?

Writing for The Conversation, Aarin-Conrad Allen, a Ph.D. candidate in marine sciences at Florida International, detailed the issues the creatures are facing.

Manatees are bruised from ships and crushed by water structures. Sores and abscesses may also appear when they suffer from cold stress syndrome (CSS) during long exposure to the cold — 68 degrees Fahrenheit or less. The condition is similar to frostbite in humans and can make the manatee more prone to illness from reduced immunity.

Too much algae also worsens their health because of decreased water quality that reduces their main food source — seagrass — and the habitats of other aquatic life. This algae proliferates largely from septic and fertilizer runoff.

Why is algae control important?

The overpopulation of algae has affected manatee diet and nutrition. A study involving Allen, the United States Geological Survey, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection found that manatees are eating more algae than seagrass because there is so much more of it.

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Underwater photosynthesis essential for seagrass production can't take place, as algae cloud these waters and block sunlight. Meanwhile, runoff pollution carries phosphorus and nitrogen that encourages algae to thrive.

What's being done about seagrass decline?

Luckily, there is more awareness about the manatee's condition. The once-endangered animal only had a population of 1,300 in the 1990s, according to Allen, but that increased to over 5,733 in 2019 — placing it in the threatened category and no longer endangered.

However, with their food source being in rapid decline in the Indian River Lagoon, wildlife watchers worry about their population falling again.

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More manatee deaths along the coast in recent years have made the situation look worse. Luckily, biologists are on hand to rescue one in distress when you call the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-3933 #7.

Fertilizer bans are now in place along the lagoon, but septic systems are still a problem since they supply most of the runoff nutrients that feed algae. Algae continue to have ideal conditions to thrive thanks to high levels of carbon dioxide from human-caused pollution and warmer water temperatures that are exacerbated by an overheating planet.

Everyone can help aquatic life, whether that's by finding ways to control runoff or by growing native plants that require less water. Regularly pumping your septic tank and not using harmful chemicals (which leach from pipes) to clear drains can also help.