What you need to know about manatees

 

We could learn something from manatees during stressful times. Floating gently in Florida's coastal waters, nuzzling through sand to find a yummy snack, maybe bumping occasionally into a friend, manatees are one of our country's most peaceful animals. But these peaceful lives are too often disrupted by human activity, and as a result, their populations are plummeting at alarming rates. Here are three threats that face these gentle giants -- and three challenges we must tackle if we're going to save them. While a manatee is floating along, she's usually looking for her favorite snack: seagrass. But seagrass is becoming harder for her to find. Between 2020 and 2022, a devastating 2,500 manatees died, and many starved to death.1 To protect manatees from starvation, we must stop the tide of runoff pollution that wreaks havoc on seagrass beds. Boating collisions are so common for the gentle manatee that it's almost impossible to find one without scars. Only 4% of adult manatees have no watercraft-related scars, and one study found that one out of every four adult carcasses bore signs of being hit 10 or more times.2 We must enforce more slow-speed zones to protect manatees from painful and often fatal collisions. As a shifting climate shrinks the manatee's habitat, it becomes harder for her to find the amount of food she needs to survive. Combined with the rapid decline of seagrass, this means that the majority of manatees are malnourished.3 Manatees lost their "endangered" status under the Endangered Species Act in 2017, which makes it harder to protect their little remaining habitat. If we're going to save the manatee, we must restore their protections.4 Manatees play a vital role in a healthy ecosystem, maintaining seagrass beds, and promoting lush habitat for other creatures.5 But we should also do everything we can to save manatees simply because they deserve the chance to survive and thrive on this planet. A more peaceful world for these gentle giants would mean a more peaceful, balanced world for us as well. Thank you for being part of our movement to save the manatees, The Environmental Action team P.S. When wildlife like manatees are under threat, we know people like you will take action at a moment's notice. We're working to reach more people like you to make our call for wildlife protections even louder. Will you donate today to grow our movement? 1. "Hundreds of Florida Manatees Died in 2023," Environmental Action, January 26, 2024. 2. "New Study Shows Impact of Watercraft on Manatees," Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, December 2020. 3. Lori Rozsa, "Wildlife officials move to feed Florida's starving manatees," Washington Post, December 8, 2021. 4. "Hundreds of Florida Manatees Died in 2023," Environmental Action, January 26, 2024. 5. "Endangered Ocean: Manatees," NOAA, last accessed January 28, 2025. Your donation will be used to stand up for wildlife and the wild places they call home, and to support all of our campaigns to protect our environment. The generosity of people just like you is what makes all of our work possible.