Manatees are making a huge comeback and will soon no longer be an endangered species, according to a Thursday press release by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
A significant increase in manatee population and habitat conditions, such as warm water refuges provided by power plants, pushed the shift in conservation status.
“While there is still more work to be done to fully recover manatee populations, their numbers are climbing and the threats to the species’ survival are being reduced,” Michael Bean, principal deputy assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks at the Department of Interior, says in the press release.
Recent aerial surveys estimate the minimum population of manatees is at least 13,000 in Florida. When aerial surveys began in 1991 there were only an estimated 1,267 manatees in Florida. This means that over the last 25 years, there has been a 500 percent increase in the species’ population.
Ironically, removing the manatee from the endangered species list may be an attempt to support the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan (CPP). A letter sent to the EPA by Rep. Rob Bishop and Sen. James Inhofe, who both chair environmental committees, spells out the threat of CPP to the manatee population.
The letter states the EPA failed to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service about potential impacts CPP has on manatees and ignored its obligations under the Endangered Species Act.
“[M]ost Florida manatees survive cold winter periods by aggregating at warm-water discharges from power plants and natural springs in central and northern Florida,” according to a report by the Marine Mammal Commission.
Power plants threatened by CPP played a substantial role in helping the manatee population recover. Every year, swarms of manatees in Florida wildlife refuges head for warm waters provided by power plant discharge to survive the winter.
Cold water during winter months is a leading killer of manatees due to their lack of fatty insulation. Prolonged exposure to waters colder than 68 degrees can be lethal. CPP threatens to shut these power plants down.
Manatees at the Tampa Power Plant flocking to the warm water #Tampa #TECO #Florida #HDR #HighDynamicRange #Manatee pic.twitter.com/2hTPdXrL69
— Jess Buttery (@jess_buttery) July 22, 2015
Despite the improvements, manatees will still be listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, allowing the Fish and Wildlife Service to continue attempts to increase their population.
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