Featured Image Credit: Matthew Beck/Citrus County Chronicle
By Sarah Sharkey
The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the manatee will no longer be classified as an endangered species. The manatees will soon be classified as “threatened.”
This change of status is based on the booming manatee population. The preliminary results of the annual count recorded 6,620 manatees in the warm waters of Florida. This is a very impressive leap from the 1,267 manatees recorded in 1991. 2017 is the third year in a row that the population estimate has increased.
Manatee Synoptic Surveys started in 1991 and the FWC will continue to monitor the manatee population. This continued survey will make sure that the manatees keep doing well.
Although officials assure us that this is the right move to make, others are skeptical. Executive Director for the Save the Manatee Club, Patrick Rose said, “A federal reclassification at this time will seriously undermine the chances of securing the manatee’s long-term survival.” He is concerned about the increasing number of boat deaths that has accompanied the rising population numbers.
Another opponent to the reclassification is Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director at the Center for Biological Diversity stated that “Manatees are still in danger. With ongoing threats posed by boat strikes and habitat loss, we don’t support reducing protections through down-listing yet.”
In response to the backlash, wildlife managers have claimed that the change in status is symbolic. All of the slow speed zones and other protections will remain in place.
Overall, the manatees will see be receiving the same amount of protection, which is vital in making sure their progress does not stop. Everyone who voiced concerns is justified, but we have to remember that the wildlife biologists who work so hard to protect this species would never reclassify them unless it was truly the right thing to do.