Tell Interior Secretary Deb Haaland: Starving manatees need our protection

 

Florida's manatees are starving to death.1 Heartbreaking numbers of manatees are dying from the combined impacts of water pollution, algae blooms, and climate change -- which are wiping out the seagrass that manatees rely on for food. Tell Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to protect our manatees by restoring their endangered status under the Endangered Species Act. Florida is known for its shallow, crystal-clear waters. Normally in this setting, the clear water lets plenty of light shine down onto the sandy ocean floor. This ample sunlight has given rise to vast meadows of seagrass -- and these provide the underwater pastures where Florida's sea cows have grazed for centuries. But recently, things have been changing -- and it's meant danger for Florida's manatees. Years of pollution have contributed to repeated massive algal blooms. During these blooms, the clear water gives way to dark clouds of algae, forming a sludge that blocks the sunlight from reaching the ocean floor.2 Starved of sunlight, large patches of seagrass die as a result of these blooms. And in particularly important manatee habitats, these barren meadows leave entire herds of manatees starved of the seagrass they need to survive.3 In crucial habitats, the loss of seagrass is particularly dangerous. Since 2009, the Indian River Lagoon, a manatee wintering habitat, has lost a staggering 75% of its seagrass.4 These losses have been fueling an ongoing crisis facing Florida's iconic sea cows, a crisis that largely contributed to a record-shattering 1,100 manatee deaths in 2021.5 Things can't continue like this for our manatees. Tell Interior Secretary Haaland that we need to act to protect the manatees. For decades, Florida's manatees enjoyed federal protections for an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. But in 2017, the Trump administration downgraded their status to "threatened," reducing the scope of their protections.6 Scientists overwhelmingly opposed that move in 2017 -- and now that manatees have faced some of the worst years on record, it's only more important that they have all possible protections restored.7 We need to stand together and work to protect this iconic species before it's too late. Join us -- tell Interior Secretary Haaland to restore the manatees' endangered protections. Thank you, The Environmental Action team 1. Salomé Gómez-Upegui, "Florida's manatees are dying in record numbers -- but a lawsuit offers hope," The Guardian, June 10, 2022. 2. Max Chesnes, "Florida wildlife officials will feed manatees again this winter to curb die-off," The Tampa Bay Times, November 16, 2022. 3. Max Chesnes, "Florida wildlife officials will feed manatees again this winter to curb die-off," The Tampa Bay Times, November 16, 2022. 4. Max Chesnes, "Florida wildlife officials will feed manatees again this winter to curb die-off," The Tampa Bay Times, November 16, 2022. 5. Max Chesnes, "Florida wildlife officials will feed manatees again this winter to curb die-off," The Tampa Bay Times, November 16, 2022. 6. Amy Green, "Four Years Ago Manatees Were Declared No Longer Endangered. Now They Are Dying At A Record Pace," WLRN, September 13, 2021. 7. Amy Green, "Four Years Ago Manatees Were Declared No Longer Endangered. Now They Are Dying At A Record Pace," WLRN, September 13, 2021.

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