Over the past several months Spectrum News 13 has reported extensively on the loss of sea grass along the Space Coast, and the tremendous loss of life in the manatee population that followed.
What You Need To Know
- Sea grass is the primary diet of manatees in Florida
- Recently, sea grass has been disappearing along the Space Coast, leaving the animals little to eat
- As the weather gets colder, experts worry that weakened manatees will not get to warmer waters in time
- RELATED: Florida lawmaker pushing to put manatees back on endangered species list
The manatee's diet is primarily made up of sea grass, so when it dies, there is nothing left for them to eat.
While some in Florida enjoy the cooler temperatures this time of year, manatee lovers don’t. With an expected cold front coming in the next few days, many are now on edge about the future and survival of one of the state’s most loved mammals.
Manatee activist Katrina Shadix is getting ready to push off in her kayak from Bairs Cove at around 5 p.m. Her hope is to see as many manatees as possible.
She has been coming to the Space Coast of Florida to see the manatees since the 1970's. Unfortunately, a lot has has changed since then.
“Fewer and fewer manatees, and absolutely no vegetation for them to eat," Shadix said before going in the water. "A lot of pollution, murky colored water, and it's just every sign of a collapsed ecosystem.”
With their food supply already scarce, an expected cold front is now on its way to our area according to certified meteorologist Mallory Nichols.
“We have seen a drop in temperatures this season as fronts have moved through, but it looks like early on next week a strong front will knock temperatures down to the coldest we have seen this season," Nichols said. "Highs in the low to mid-high 60s, lows down in the 30s.”
Not a good combination for the manatees, especially ones on the move.
“Now that the temperatures are dropping this quickly, the fear is that many of those manatees that are far away from these water sources may not get to these warm water sources in time," said Cora Berchem, a manatee research associate for savethemanatee.org.
After nearly two hours on the water, Shadix failed to see a single manatee.
“It’s very sad," she said. "We did see a couple dolphins — they don't have much to eat. There's just very little marine life happening right now.”
For a person who has spent decades on the water, she sadly believes she knows what has happened to many.
“I hate to be negative but I think they are dead,” Shadix said.
According to savethemanatee.org, from December of 2020 to May of 2021 nearly 700 manatees were reported dead along the East Coast of Florida. Most of those deaths reported were between the months of January and March typically the coolest months of the year.