Federal Study: Manatee Death Rate Is Seven Times Sustainable Level
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Federal Study: Manatee Death Rate Is Seven Times Sustainable Level
Boat Strikes Are Preventing Species' Recovery
SAN FRANCISCO— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized new stock assessments for manatees that puts the population of Florida manatees at about 3,800 and a Puerto Rico population at 72. The stock-assessment reports resulted from settlement of a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity that sought updated assessments, since the Service had flouted its duty under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to publish yearly reports for more than a decade.
“The Fish and Wildlife Service’s population assessment shows that boats are carelessly killing manatees,” said Miyoko Sakashita, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. “Clearly, far too little is being done to protect these endangered manatees in Florida.”
According to the Service’s stock-assessment report on the Florida manatee population, each year about 87 manatees are killed by humans in the state. This is more than seven times the number of manatees that the Service estimates can be killed without impairing the species’ recovery. Boats are the primary threat to manatees, which are frequently struck and killed, or seriously injured, by speeding vessels. Almost 90 percent of the manatees killed by humans were a result of such boat strikes. Manatees are also threatened by water-diversion structures such as dams and entanglement in marine debris, including derelict fishing gear.
“The one thing everyone should be able to agree on is that manatees in Florida and Puerto Rico need more protection from boat collisions to allow them to survive and recover,” said Sakashita.
Stock assessments are required under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and are meant to be used as the basis for management decisions such as those permitting the killing or harassment of the animals by commercial fisheries, oil and gas exploration, boating and shipping, and military exercises.
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The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit conservation organization with more than 240,000 members and online activists dedicated to protecting endangered species and wild places. http://twww.biologicaldiversity.org
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Descriptions of Manatee Death Categories - Manatee deaths are broken down into eight categories based on gross, histological, and microbiological findings.
The Top 3 Causes of Manatee Death (NOTE - all are PREVENTABLE)
Watercraft: Manatees hit by boats, barges or any type of watercraft. Death may result from propeller wounds, impact, crushing, or any combination of the three.
Crushed/Drowned in Flood Gate or Canal Lock: Manatees killed by crushing or asphyxiation in flood gates and canal locks.
Other Human-Related: Manatee deaths caused by vandalism, poaching, entrapment in pipes and culverts, complications due to entanglement in ropes, lines, and nets, or ingestion of fishing gear or debris.
More Resources, Information & Links
Quantitative Threats Analysis for the Florida Manatee, http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/resshow/manatee/, authored by U.S. Geological Survey and FWC researchers.) http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/resshow/manatee/
NEWS RELEASE:
12.5% of all Florida manatees killed in 2009
As many as 419 manatees have been found dead since Jan. 1, the highest number on record for a calendar year.http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/125-of-all-florida...
FWC documents record number of manatee deaths http://myfwc.com/NEWSROOM/09/statewide/News_09_X_ManateeDeaths09.htm
2009 Preliminary Manatee Mortality Report, October 1-December 11 (80 kb)
http://research.myfwc.com/engine/download_redirection_process.asp?file=Dec21.pdf...
http://research.myfwc.com/features/view_article.asp?id=6780
VIDEOS & LINKS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbCPiD1NjeQ
http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/manatee.php
Boat Strikes Are Preventing Species' Recovery
SAN FRANCISCO— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized new stock assessments for manatees that puts the population of Florida manatees at about 3,800 and a Puerto Rico population at 72. The stock-assessment reports resulted from settlement of a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity that sought updated assessments, since the Service had flouted its duty under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to publish yearly reports for more than a decade.
“The Fish and Wildlife Service’s population assessment shows that boats are carelessly killing manatees,” said Miyoko Sakashita, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. “Clearly, far too little is being done to protect these endangered manatees in Florida.”
According to the Service’s stock-assessment report on the Florida manatee population, each year about 87 manatees are killed by humans in the state. This is more than seven times the number of manatees that the Service estimates can be killed without impairing the species’ recovery. Boats are the primary threat to manatees, which are frequently struck and killed, or seriously injured, by speeding vessels. Almost 90 percent of the manatees killed by humans were a result of such boat strikes. Manatees are also threatened by water-diversion structures such as dams and entanglement in marine debris, including derelict fishing gear.
“The one thing everyone should be able to agree on is that manatees in Florida and Puerto Rico need more protection from boat collisions to allow them to survive and recover,” said Sakashita.
Stock assessments are required under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and are meant to be used as the basis for management decisions such as those permitting the killing or harassment of the animals by commercial fisheries, oil and gas exploration, boating and shipping, and military exercises.
###
The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit conservation organization with more than 240,000 members and online activists dedicated to protecting endangered species and wild places. http://twww.biologicaldiversity.org
###
Descriptions of Manatee Death Categories - Manatee deaths are broken down into eight categories based on gross, histological, and microbiological findings.
The Top 3 Causes of Manatee Death (NOTE - all are PREVENTABLE)
Watercraft: Manatees hit by boats, barges or any type of watercraft. Death may result from propeller wounds, impact, crushing, or any combination of the three.
Crushed/Drowned in Flood Gate or Canal Lock: Manatees killed by crushing or asphyxiation in flood gates and canal locks.
Other Human-Related: Manatee deaths caused by vandalism, poaching, entrapment in pipes and culverts, complications due to entanglement in ropes, lines, and nets, or ingestion of fishing gear or debris.
More Resources, Information & Links
Quantitative Threats Analysis for the Florida Manatee, http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/resshow/manatee/, authored by U.S. Geological Survey and FWC researchers.) http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/resshow/manatee/
NEWS RELEASE:
12.5% of all Florida manatees killed in 2009
As many as 419 manatees have been found dead since Jan. 1, the highest number on record for a calendar year.http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/125-of-all-florida...
FWC documents record number of manatee deaths http://myfwc.com/NEWSROOM/09/statewide/News_09_X_ManateeDeaths09.htm
2009 Preliminary Manatee Mortality Report, October 1-December 11 (80 kb)
http://research.myfwc.com/engine/download_redirection_process.asp?file=Dec21.pdf...
http://research.myfwc.com/features/view_article.asp?id=6780
VIDEOS & LINKS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbCPiD1NjeQ
http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/manatee.php
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