Florida Environmental Group The toll of an unusually high number of manatees in the first five months of the year warns that an outbreak of algae contaminating and destroying food sources could threaten the long-term future of this species. Make.

The 749 authorities who died said the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recorded more than 637 records as of May 21 as of 2020 as a whole. The total is on the way to surpassing the 804 peaks set in 2018.

Starvation occurs when a significant portion of seagrass, the preferred food source for slow-moving aquatic mammals, withers, the situation worsens due to the recurrence of the interior zone of blue-green blue-green phytoplankton blooms in Florida waterways.

The recent toxic sewage leaks and discharges from abandoned areas off Tampa Bay Piny Point Fertilizer Factory The return with the threat of red tide algae has poisoned the water. According to the FWC, 12 manatees have died so far this year.

According to the St. Johns River Water Management District, 58% of seagrass beds have been lost since 2009 in the 150-mile Indian River Lagoon, an inland estuary visited annually by one-third of the remaining 7,500 manatees. ..

Authorities say nutrient spills, especially too much nitrogen and phosphorus, can completely kill seagrass beds or form flowers that block sunlight.

“Most of the former 80,000 acres of seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon have been lost by a series of harmful blue-green algae caused by decades of human nutrient pollution from sewage and relentless dumping. nowadays. The former governor of Florida is saving the manatees, the Tampa Bay Times press release said.

Meanwhile, the March Biodiversity Center (CBD) study over 55% of the manatees tested contained traces of pesticides.

“Our beloved chubby dugong avoids collisions with boats, returns from red tides and starves to death in the Indian River Lagoon from water pollution,” said Jacqueline Lopez, director of CBD in Florida. “Adding chronic exposure to glyphosate to the list of factors that threaten the survival of manatees is painful

According to Graham, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) “dropped the ball” in 2019. changed the conservation status of manatees from “endangered” to “endangered.”

“They are in danger because of opposition from scientists and the thousands of Americans who have listened to anti-manatee groups and realized that the future of manatees is dangerous but could in fact be worse. We have prematurely removed manatees from the species list, ”he said.

“We need to recognize the mistake and put the manatees back at risk,” FWS said.

Two MPs, Stephanie Murphy of the Democratic Party and Brian Mast of the Republican Party, are increasing federal funding to protect manatees.

Intense editorial Earlier this month at Orlando Sentinel, he accused Florida politicians of increasing manatee deaths due to “disregard for the environment” and attacked former US Senator Rick Scott . Reduction of the environmental budget In the office.