Poor weather lowers state manatee count

ST. PETERSBURG -- Last week's bad weather hampered efforts to count the state's manatee population, producing a far smaller census than the year before, biologists from the Florida Marine Research Center said Wednesday.

Researchers who took to the air and water Friday around the state counted only 1,796 manatees. It's the second-lowest count since the regular manatee census began in 1991.

Last year's count, made under ideal conditions, was 3,276, the highest ever recorded. The high count contributed to political turmoil over the endangered marine mammal, as boating groups and some lawmakers have used the high census as a reason to take the manatee off the endangered list.

Research center director Ken Haddad said the low census does not indicate a massive die-off, but is a sign that foul weather created poor visibility, making it difficult to see submerged manatees. With spring near, Haddad said, there is unlikely to be another opportunity for a count this year.

About 30 people from 11 local, state and federal agencies conducted the surveys in the warm places where manatees congregate during cold weather.

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