More manatees have already died this year than in other years in Florida history, mostly from starvation due to the loss of seaweed, state officials say.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission said 841 manat deaths were reported between Jan. 1 and July 2, breaking the previous record of 830 people who died in 2013 due to the toxic red stream.
TClm website more than half of the deaths were in the Indian River and the Lagoon River, located in the counties of Volusia, Brevard, Indus, St. Lucia and Martin. Most of the deaths were in Brevard, where 312 manatees were killed.
More than 20 large goldfish have been discovered in Lake Minnesota, prompting a warning from state officials.
Some biologists believe that water pollution leads to the death of seaweeds in the area.
“The unprecedented death of manatees due to a lack of fire was documented on the Atlantic coast this winter and spring,” the Florida Institute of Fish and Wildlife released a record on Friday. “Most of the deaths occurred during the cold months when the manatees crossed the Indian Ocean into the Lagoon River and most of the seas.”
Boat strikes are also the leading cause of manatee deaths, with at least 63 people killed this year.
Manatee was once classified as dangerous by the federal government, but in 2017 was classified as under threat. Environmentalists are asking if they consider this animal dangerous again.
The federal government estimates that about 6,300 manat lives in Florida waters, up from about 1,300 in the early 1990s.