A very sad record.
Florida authorities said on Friday July 9, 2021 that 841 manatees had died in the U.S. state between January 1 and July 2.
This figure already exceeds that of the total number of deaths of these animals recorded over the whole of a year since the count was made.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission called a phenomenon "unprecedented" in a text cited by
The Guardian
.
The specialists estimated that the massive mammals had mostly succumbed to a lack of food after the disappearance of the algae beds.
Collisions with boats have also killed at least 63 manatees this year.
312 of the 841 deaths occurred in the Indian River Lagoon.
Pollution would be the cause of the absence of underwater plants previously growing in the bottom of the river, some biologists have estimated.
An endangered species
"Most of the deaths took place in the colder months," the Florida commission said.
It is at this time that the manatees migrate to the lagoon or cross it to reach another destination.
Many environmentalists are campaigning for the return of the species to the federal list of animals in danger of extinction, from which it was withdrawn in 2017. Manatees are currently considered an endangered species.
6,300 individuals currently live in Florida waters, up from around 1,300 in the early 1990s. The previous record for the annual number of dead manatees was in 2013. 830 animals had died that year after the onset of a red tide caused by toxic microorganisms.
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