Environmental Groups Seek to Have Manatees Returned to Endangered Status

Environmental Groups Seek , to Have Manatees Returned , to Endangered Status. On November 21, environmental groups warned that manatees are dying by the hundreds mainly as a result of pollution-driven starvation. The Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeking to have the animal once again listed as an endangered species. . 'The Independent' reports that according to the group, the manatee being taken off the list in 2017 was an error. . The Fish and Wildlife Service now has the opportunity to correct its mistake and protect these desperately imperiled animals, Ragan Whitlock, Attorney for the Florida-based Center for Biological Diversity, via 'The Independent'. The petition argues that pollution from fertilizer runoff, leaking septic tanks, wastewater discharge and increased development has caused algae blooms. . The petition argues that pollution from fertilizer runoff, leaking septic tanks, wastewater discharge and increased development has caused algae blooms. . These algae blooms have killed a majority of the seagrass on which manatees depend on to survive, particularly off of Florida's east coast. In 2021, a record 1,100 manatees died from starvation, representing 13% of all manatees estimated to dwell in the waters surrounding Florida. So far in 2022, at least 736 manatee deaths had been reported as of November 11. . 'The Independent' reports that putting the manatee back on the endangered list would bolster federal scrutiny, while also providing more resources and expertise to help the problem. . Re-designating manatees as endangered will be a critical first step in righting a terrible wrong, Patrick Rose, Executive director of the Save the Manatee Club, via 'The Independent'