Manatee deaths have declined, but experts are bracing for a deadly winter
Although manatees call Florida home, it hasn’t been a good one lately.
It’s been a record-setting year for manatee deaths and experts are worried more could die as winter approaches.
Manatees live on seagrass which is dying because of pollution.
Nearly one-thousand manatees have died in Florida this year alone, but the past two months show a more positive outlook as deaths have begun to level off, experts say.
The new concern is the colder weather that comes with winter.
"As the water temperature decreases, we're going to see them start to struggle again. Manatees are a tropical species, and they don't do well in cold water at all,” said Leesa Souto, executive director of the Marine Resources Council.
"To me, the manatees are only one sign of a collapsing ecosystem,” she added.
The council said communities along the lagoon, spanning 156 miles, have come together to keep the lagoon healthy and save the manatees.
Beyond saving the precious sea cows, economic growth is also at stake.
"The community realizes what we have to lose and they are galvanizing,” Suoto said.
Some ways to help keep the lagoon waters clean are by not fertilizing your lawn, washing your car somewhere besides the driveway and bagging pet waste.
The chemicals in fertilizer, soaps and pet waste contain chemicals and nutrients that help algae grow which in turn snuffs out seagrass.
"If there is a community that can, it's ours,” Suoto said. “Every week we are watching the genius we have in Brevard County.”