State: At 3,276 manatees, state breaks record

At 3,276 manatees, state breaks record

Cold weather is one reason for higher numbers, but researchers say the population probably has increased.

By CRAIG PITTMAN and ALEX LEARY

ST. PETERSBURG -- Researchers counted more than 3,000 manatees in Florida waterways during last week's cold snap, a higher number than in any previous year -- a finding that indicates the endangered marine mammal's population may be bouncing back from the verge of extinction.

"It probably is growing a little," said the Florida Marine Research Institute's Bruce Ackerman, the scientist in charge of the statewide manatee census. The new record is "a benchmark for our population studies," he said.

The record-breaking count, which took place Friday and Saturday, totaled 3,276 manatees statewide, the highest number counted since the census began 10 years ago. The previous high was 2,639 in 1996, although 150 were killed by a toxic Red Tide later that year.

Wednesday's announcement comes on the heels of two other manatee-related developments that bode well for the species. Last week, the research institute announced that the number of manatees killed by boats had declined for the first time since records were kept, dropping to 78. Meanwhile, environmental groups reached a settlement with federal agencies that is supposed to guarantee greater protections for the manatee.

Last week's tally has boating advocates downright ecstatic. Ron Pritchard, president of Citizens for Florida's Waterways, said the record census "shows that the manatee is not nearly suffering as some people would have you believe."

Pritchard suggested that Wednesday's news means that "some adjustments should be made" in the terms of the settlement, which, among other things, would put more areas of the state off-limits to boating and would put new conditions on marinas and other waterfront developments built in manatee habitat.

But Save the Manatee Club co-chair Helen Spivey said the higher population figure just shows that the stepped-up enforcement of boat speed zones and greater protection measures already in place have paid off.

"It's a sign that these things are working in certain places," she said.

Researchers found a record 356 manatees in the Tampa Bay area. "It blew us out of the water," Ackerman said. Joyce Kleen, a biologist with the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, said 377 manatees were counted in Citrus County, also a new record for a statewide survey.

Most of the year, manatees are dispersed in waters around the state. But when the weather turns cool, they seek warmer water, congregating near natural springs, power plants and deep canals. That makes them easier to count from the air.

Last week, researchers from 15 state, federal and county agencies; research laboratories; and universities took to the skies and the water. The weather conditions were ideal for such a count: a prolonged cold spell, with a significant drop in water temperature, followed by a sunny and windless day.

Along the Gulf Coast, the researchers found 1,756 manatees; along the Atlantic Coast, they found 1,520.

To some extent, the high count is a result of those perfect conditions, Ackerman said. Conditions have been less than ideal the past four winters, and those counts have been low. In 1998, only 2,022 were counted. But this year's numbers are high enough that they reflect the likelihood of an increase in population, despite the manatees' slow natural birth rate, Ackerman said.

Spivey, recalling the 1996 Red Tide outbreak, said she hoped that Wednesday's good news is not followed by another big die-off. She noted the cold weather that is so advantageous for counting is actually something manatees don't tolerate well.

"I hope we don't see a lot of them now turn up with cold stress or pneumonia," she said.