File – Friday, February 5, 2021, manatees flock near a hot water spill from the Florida Power & Light factory on the Riviera Beach, Florida. On Wednesday, December 15, 2021, state wildlife authorities announced a test feeding plan. As winter approaches Florida, it will save many threatened manatees from hunger. However, they say manatees will still face the threat of anthropogenic water pollution that chokes their food supply. (The Palm Beach Post via Greg Lovett / AP, File)
ST. Petersburg, Florida (AP) — As winter approaches Florida, pilot feeding programs can save many manatees from hunger — but they still have a long-term anthropogenic water pollution that disrupts their food supply. Will face a threat, the wildlife authorities said Wednesday.
Slow-moving marine mammals begin to gather at hot water sites such as power plants as soon as the temperature drops, and authorities may not have enough seagrass to sustain them, officials said the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Told to.
Florida Power & Light, the state’s largest power company, is spending $ 700,000 on a “temporary field response station” to feed manatees at its factory in Cape Canaveral on the east coast. The funding is also for the rescue and rehabilitation of suffering manatees, the company said in a news release.
The program has never been tried.
“This is the eye of the world,” said Rodney Barrett, chairman of the Wildlife Commission. “We need to get it right.”
Authorities emphasize that people should not feed marine mammals randomly. They say doing so is illegal and leads to an unhealthy relationship between animals and food sources.
Pilot feeding programs are temporary temporary to prevent manatee deaths while the state spends millions of dollars on the restoration of seagrass beds in areas such as the Indian River Lagoon, an important winter habitat. Intended as a temporary measure.
According to state estimates, Florida has 7,000 to 8,000 manatees (also known as sea cows). They are close relatives of elephants and can live up to 65 years, but breed slowly.
To date, more than 1,000 manatees have died in Florida’s waters in 2021, a record number for the year. Some people are killed in a boat crash, others are hurt in a crash, but the biggest concern is that many people starve to death because the polluted water kills the seagrass they depend on. ..
The long-term problems faced by wildlife authorities are fertilizer spills from sugar plantations and other agricultural activities, and stormwater and sewage flows from cities to bays and sewage that breed pests such as blue-green algae. How to stop. According to many experts, rising water and temperature caused by climate change exacerbates the problem.
“Everyone knows that the underlying problem is water quality,” said Larry Williams, Florida Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, adding that other marine life will soon suffer. .. “Like manatees, they are declining.”
NextEra Energy Inc, the parent company of FPL. Mike Sole, a member of the Florida Wildlife Commission, also said that the manatee’s death crisis is a “mere sign” of a larger pollution problem.
“We also need to focus on the treatment of water quality,” Saul said.
Governor Ron DeSantis last month announced a $ 481 million water quality improvement grant across the state. Of this amount, $ 53 million is allocated to wastewater treatment in the Indian River Lagoon region.
Barrett, chairman of the Florida Wildlife Commission, said ongoing efforts are needed to restore the manatee-friendly seagrass beds and purify the polluted water that is causing the problem.
“This isn’t about photography,” Barrett said. “We want to make sure the flock survives.”
Manatee Feeding Program Winter Ready to Test Survival | WGN Radio 720
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