It’s time to restore protections for manatees

When the only way to save a species from starvation is by feeding them ourselves, something is terribly wrong.

Two years ago, manatees were dying at such alarming rates that wildlife agencies began throwing thousands of pounds of lettuce into the water in an attempt to keep them from starving to death.

But despite these obvious alarm bells, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced a proposal that would keep Florida manatees from being granted endangered species protections.

Florida manatees need the Endangered Species Act

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is one of our best tools to protect species from extinction. Restoring the manatee’s “endangered” status under the ESA would expand protections to help safeguard their habitat, restore their food sources and protect them from deadly boat strikes — all actions that manatees desperately need.

One of the biggest problems facing manatees is loss of food. As pollution runoff clots the water with dense algal blooms, sunlight can’t reach the ocean floor, which means seagrass dwindles in the shade and dies.

And when seagrass dies, so do manatees.

If manatees are going to survive, they need protections that meet the challenges they’re facing.

Take action to protect manatees from extinction

The manatee was downgraded from “endangered” to “threatened” under the ESA in 2017, and soon after, their populations began to plummet. 2,000 manatees died in 2021 and 2022 alone, the worst and second-worst years for manatee deaths on record.

The solution to this devastating decline can’t be more lettuce. By protecting manatee habitat from pollution, we can restore seagrass beds and allow manatees to find the food they need to survive and thrive.

Tell FWS before they finalize their decision: Save the manatees from starvation by restoring their full federal protections.