Here’s a sobering story from The Guardian about the rising death of manatees in Florida, up by as much as 20 per cent this spring – and rising:
The apparent environmental upside of Covid-19, such as lower pollution and emissions, isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Just ask manatee conservationists in Florida.
Keeping this threatened species safe has increasingly been an uphill battle – especially since manatees were controversially downgraded from “endangered” in 2017. But conservationists are facing unexpected challenges in the face of coronavirus. So far, the pandemic has led to more unsafe boating activity, delays to environmental project launches and even changes in public policy – none of which favor these gentle giants.
“There are several troubling factors coming together during the pandemic,” said Patrick Rose, an aquatic biologist and executive director of the nonprofit Save the Manatee Club. “Manatees were already facing accelerated habitat loss, rising fatalities from boat collisions and less regulatory protection. With Covid, we’re seeing manatees at an increased risk, both from policies that undermine environmental standards and from irresponsible outdoor activity, such as boaters ignoring slow-speed zones.”
Boaters speeding through manatee habitats can easily injure or kill the slow-moving mammals. A 1,600-pound pregnant manatee was hit by a boat near Siesta Key in May; she was rescued and delivered a healthy calf but remains in critical care, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). In June, a manatee swimming off the coast of southwest Florida collided with a vessel, causing a rib fracture that punctured its lung. These types of collisions are so common that researchers use scars as a way to identify individual manatees.
Rose says dangerous boating activity increased in March, as boat ramps remained open while other recreation sites closed for lockdown, and it’s now on the rise again as Florida reopens.
Researchers know manatees are increasingly at risk– manatee deaths went up nearly 20% for April through May, compared to last year, and June is already exceeding the five-year average for this time. But the FWC can’t say why – due to necropsy restrictions during Covid-19, there’s no official cause of death for most of the carcasses.
“We suspect there were many more manatees killed by boating than we could determine,” Rose said. Read more:
https://flipboard.com/topic/boating/florida-manatee-deaths-up-20-as-covid-19-threatens-recovery/a-JAyZETLWQ9au_zsdasFDcQ%3Aa%3A3199676-7cd685ccc0%2Ftheguardian.com
