Manatee 'graveyard' found in Florida as algae bloom and cold temperatures threaten mammals' survival

Record numbers of manatees are starving to death in Florida, struggling to find food after an unusually cold winter and an attack of algae bloom.

Locals have reported finding “manatee graveyards” in the northern Indian River Lagoon on the Atlantic Coast of Florida, which is a central hub for the marine animals.

The number of deaths - 432 - so far this year, is nearly three times the five-year average of 146 deaths between January 1 and March 5, the South Florida SunSentinel newspaper reported, citing figures from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Last year, the state recorded 637 manatee deaths, and in 2019, 607.

Experts blame a combination of cold weather, a lack of seagrass for them to eat, and contaminated waterways.

Diminishing seagrass levels in the lagoon - due, in large part, to algae blooms - have reduced the amount of food available to the manatees.

The manatees have been swimming much further away than usual to find the grass, which is their main source of food. But they are not finding as much, so they return hungry to the warmer water.

“A manatee will choose starvation over freezing to death,” said Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director of the Center for Biological Diversity.

Environmentalists warn the famine is so bad there are concerns the manatee could be wiped out of the area entirely by the end of the year.

Officials said cold stress has accounted for 41 deaths so far. There were 52 cold-stress deaths among manatees in 2020, officials said.

As waters heat up through the spring, manatees could swim to other places and forage more easily. Patrick Rose, executive director of the Save the Manatee Club, said any reprieve will be temporary and already worries about next winter.

The state, he said, must work on rescue plans and health assessments to be ready. Restoring sea grasses and cutting pollution will take more time.

Wildlife officials have reported rescuing 52 manatees through early March, including five in Brevard.

“This could even be worse next year,” Mr Rose said. “This is a trend that if it were to continue would be very ominous, ... if this were to happen in multiple places it would be a horrific situation.”