– Wildlife officials are poised to move manatees off the endangered species list and upgrade their status to threatened, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Commission announced Thursday.
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While the estimated manatee population has grown in recent years, Buchanan and conservationists contend the state’s population of 6,000 manatees does not represent a high enough number to loosen restrictions.
An “endangered” listing means the species is in imminent risk of extinction, while “threatened” means they could become endangered in the foreseeable future – an improvement wildlife officials likened to moving manatees from intensive care into a rehabilitation facility.
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“It’s taken eight years and two lawsuits to get the government to follow up on its own experts’ recommendation to reclassify the manatee”, Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Christina Martin said in a statement.
According to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Manatee Recovery Plan, manatees sometime graze on seagrass which leaves the possibility for regrowth – but manatees also “root” seagrass – meaning the entire plant is pulled and the underwater sediment is disturbed.
BamBam, a Florida Manatee, swims in his tank at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015, in Cincinnati.
We are glad to see that the manatee is doing well and that the government is finally following the requirements of the Endangered Species Act. While there is still more work to be done to fully recover manatee populations, their numbers are climbing and the threats to the species’ survival are being reduced. Despite the change, the animal would still have a lot of federal protections in place.
Retrofitted water-control structures have resulted in significantly fewer manatee fatalities, Fish and Wildlife said, and power companies are working with federal and state conservation managers to address warm-water outflows at wintering manatee congregation sites.
Regulators are seeking public comment on the proposed reclassification. The agency is expected to make a final decision after the comment period.
The range of the West Indian manatee extends into the US southeast, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central and South America.
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Many Brevard County waterfront property owners, boaters, and anglers blame the effect of the increased manatee population for the Indian River Lagoon’s plight, especially when it comes to the inability of seagrass to regrow after the 2011-2012 Superbloom die off.
