Two dozen manatees dead in Manatee Park
Approximately 25 manatees were reported to have died in Lee County over the past week, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said on Friday.
Kelly Richmond, a spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), said there has recently been an increase in reports of deceased manatees in the Orange River and surrounding areas of Fort Myers.
Between Feb. 13 and Feb. 18, approximately 25 manatee mortalities were reported in Lee County.
“Initial observations suggest cold stress may be a contributing factor; however, these data are preliminary and this event is an active and ongoing investigation,” Richmond said. The FWC, in a second statement on Friday, said “Findings from our carcass response indicate these animals died as a result of cold stress associated with recent cold weather conditions.”
While not definitively attributing the deaths to any one factor, the FWC did not in its statement that a Florida Power & Light power plan nearby recently underwent an unplanned shutdown. Manatees will often huddle near the power plant due to the warmer temperatures.
As temperatures drop, Florida manatees move into springs, power plant discharge areas and other warm-water areas, the FWC said.
“At this time, it is not yet known to what extent a recent, unplanned shutdown of a nearby Florida Power & Light power plant may have impacted mortality levels,” the FWC said in a statement. “The power plant is now back to full operation and the FWC appreciates Florida Power & Light’s commitment to support manatee conservation.”
Historically, the FWC said, each winter there is an increase in manatee mortalities and rescues statewide due to cold stress. Manatees need access to water that is warmer than 68°F to survive prolonged cold weather.
Lee County spokesperson Betsy Clayton said the county delayed the opening of the park in response to the death of the manatees but have since reopened the park, located on State Road 80 (Palm Beach Boulevard) outside Fort Myers.
Lee County leads the state in manatee deaths so far this year. Before the most recent spate of deaths, there were 18 manatee deaths reported in Lee County through Feb. 13, which was seven more than Brevard County.
Lee County also leads the states so far this year in manatee deaths from watercraft, with seven manatee deaths blamed on watercraft. No other county has more than one manatee death attributed to a watercraft strike.
Last year, Lee County led the state in fatal watercraft collisions with manatees with 14, and was second overall in manatee deaths with 113. Brevard County led the state in total manatee deaths with 119. There were 632 total manatee deaths in Florida last year. The manatee was long considered endangered for decades in the United States, though it was taken off the Endangered Species List in 2017 and downgraded to threatened.
On Fort Myers Beach, there has been one manatee death reported this year, so far, on Jan. 2 in Estero Bay. The death was of a young female manatee, with the cause listed as natural or other.
The seven deadly watercraft collisions in Lee County with manatees this year were reported in the Orange River outside Fort Myers, in Fish Trap Bay in Bonita Springs, the Caloosahatchee River off Fort Myers, in the Caloosahatchee River in Alva and in the Caloosahatchee River in Cape Coral.
Members of the public can help by reporting any injured, distressed, or deceased manatees to the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) so trained responders can assist. FWC staff continue to respond to reports of live manatees in distress in the area. Each manatee death is investigated and documented, the FWC said.