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Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released an embarrassing statistic regarding one of our favorite marine mammals… seacows.
Unfortunately, 2016 saw a record number of manatee deaths due to boat collisions. Over one hundred manatees, actually 104, were lost to boating incidents. Come on boaters… you’re better than that. Slow down and remember that “Manatee Season,” runs from November to March when the mammals mosey inland for the winter.
This news is hard to swallow because manatee populations have been on the up and up for the last 43 years. When the species was listed as Endangered status, Florida enacted laws and legislation to protect the marine mammals.
The last “record” death toll was set in 2009 with 97 boat related losses. According to wildlife biologists, there were approximately 520 manatee carcasses examined last year, so about 1 in 5 manatee deaths were boat related.
Last year’s high manatee death toll comes in the wake of a record count of the seacow’s Florida population. Spotters counted 6,250 manatees in Florida this winter (WHOOP), which is 187 more than the previous winter count and the most found since the state began the yearly surveys in 1991.
Want to learn more about manatees? Check out these 15 Facts Cool Facts About Manatees.