January 5, 2012 - A cold-related die-off of manatees in early
2011 set the stage for a third straight year with high numbers
of deaths for the species. Biologists with the research arm of
the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)
documented 453 manatee carcasses in state waters in 2011. During
the past three years, biologists documented the highest levels
of cold-related manatee deaths, with the “cold stress” category
accounting for 112 in 2011, 282 in 2010 and 56 in 2009. In the
previous five years, cold stress accounted for an average of 30
manatee deaths per year. The total number of reported manatee
deaths in 2011 was the second-highest on record. Biologists
documented a record 766 manatee deaths in 2010 and recorded the
third-highest total of 429 in 2009. “We are concerned about the
number of manatee deaths the past three years, including those
resulting from exposure to cold weather,” said Gil McRae,
director of the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.
“Over the next few years,