Posted on 11/27/2021 4:05:58 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
What a bad year to be a Florida manatee. For the first time on record, more than 1,000 of the sea mammals have died in a calendar year — and it’s not even December yet. That could amount to 1 in every 7 of the state’s manatees gone in less than 11 months. Many of them starved, thanks to a die-off of seagrass, a problem worsened by human-made pollution. In the short run, Florida owes it to this iconic mammal to find ways to mitigate the damage. It’s also time to put the manatees back on the endangered species list, which would help their long-term prospects.
In recent years, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has estimated the state’s total manatee population at a minimum of 7,250. Through Nov. 12, the commission has recorded 1,003 deaths, smashing the previous record of 830 set in 2013. As the Tampa Bay Times reported, the year got off to a bad start when manatees returned to one of their typical wintering spots near a power plant in the Indian River Lagoon off Brevard County. Manatees often seek the warmer waters near power plants during cold winter months. But algal blooms in recent years killed tens of thousands of acres of seagrass, a primary food source for the voracious eaters. A 1,000-pound manatee can eat 100 pounds of food in a day, according to the University of Florida. Without enough seagrass, many of the manatees starved.
(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...
I see manatees all the time at the local Walmart.
The Tampa Bay Times, the original authors of this editorial, likely don’t know. But maybe the Post-Gazette knows the man-caused beaver death count in that state.
The Post-Gazette editorial is reprinted from the Tampa Bay Times.
January and February are the least humid and hot months there, I lived in Miami form 1973-1977, and we lived and worked in AC all the time. It was awful down there, in the Summer.
I understood that. Literary license...
Manatees often seek the warmer waters near power plants during cold winter months.
One can only hope to observe the manatees warming themselves
by the wind turbines as the power plants are phased out.
You also now have Nazi Pelosi! YUCK
Yeah, they block the aisles usually spilling over the sides of electric carts.
Without a doubt that too.
I remember agents of land speculators blanketing the North East selling Florida lots (easy terms, low down payment)
The ability of families to drive to Florida for a vacation also helped folks to see what Florida was like.
Many things came together in the 50s and 60s that encouraged the migration. The large population and the amount of people from the NE were some of the reasons I crossed Florida off my list of “move to” states when I retired. In 2001 I was finally able to say, “See ya” to Fun City and went a little bit South West, over the mountains to WV.
Thanks for the correction on the language. As much as I enjoy visiting the Everglades and Big Cypress in winter (the birds!), Florida is too flat and swampy for my tastes. For the record, I have lived in Boca Raton, Doral (near Miami Airport) and Estero (near Fort Myers). Have been in every region of the state. Just not my kind of place as I like hills and drier weather.
SW Florida has banned nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizer during the rainy season for years. Here’s the dirty secret: Much of FL sandy “soil” has a naturally high phosphorous content. Phosphorous in fertilizer has been banned in many FL locations year round. The only way to legally use lawn or flowering plant fertilizer containing phosphorous is with a soil test demonstrating a deficiency. Slow-release nitrogen fertilizer is permitted.
Yummy
Manatee burgers
You must be an Aussie recently transplanted to a free area of the world. All those nasty beasties are from down under.
FL is cool, and your trying to scare away immigration is unkind.
As to keeping away the commie trash, I salute you.
One thing I loved about going to UF in Gainesville was all the hills. I’ve gotten used to how flat it is here. The tradeoff is a clear view of the beautiful sky. I live on what is part of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge and our property is on a rise. Which is not much by hill standards but it did mean saving money when the new septic tank was needed.
Don’t forget about Panthers and Pythons.
Man-eating panthers the size of grizzlies.
You gotta be a tough SOB to thrive in Florida. The current metrosexual or whatever they call those sweet smelling nothings would run back home to momma after 1 night alone in the Everglades.
Manatees are a huge pain in the bass-fisherman’s ass...
Always have been and always will be...
Next, they’ll protect the mosquitoes and flies...
Freepers are so ignorant about manatees
I’m not tree hugger but damn get your facts straight before bloviating
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manatee
Are manatees native....read
That’s for starters
As usual the sound and the fury all rooted in intellectual sloth
Uh...there were massive algal blooms ...red tides... When the Spanish arrived, long before there were settlers, leaky septic tanks, and power boats. Either the local Indians (who ate manatees, by the way) were huge polluters or else red tide is a natural and not infrequent occurrence most likely due to temperature (this year was very hot and much wetter than usual) and current speeds and direction.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.