Three environmental groups are suing the federal government, hoping to force stronger regulations to protect manatees.
Hundreds have been found sick and even dead just north of us in Central Florida. The Nightteam’s Kevin Ozebek traveled there to investigate why this beloved species is now a dying breed.
It looks like endless still water, until you reach the pockets of mangroves and see a family of dolphins breach.
At first glance the Indian River Lagoon looks pristine, but in reality this is an ecosystem in collapse.
So many manatees died here last year, this island became a graveyard.
Brian Lapointe, FAU Biologist: “The lagoon has basically become a dead zone.”
The Indian River Lagoon stretches more than 150 miles all the way from Palm Beach to Volusia County.
The Northern section, in and around Brevard County, has biologists especially worried of the record 1,101 manatee deaths in Florida, 359 deaths were in Brevard.
Brian Lapointe, FAU Biologist: “We knew this was coming. The prognosis is not good for the manatee.”
From his Fort Pierce lab, Florida Atlantic University Biologist Dr. Brian Lapointe is sounding the alarm.
Brian Lapointe, FAU Biologist: “The lagoon is no longer functioning.”
His field team took 7News out on the water to show us why.
As we peak beneath the surface there is near zero visibility, even though we’re in water just two feet deep.
Micro algae is blooming so prolifically, it has clouded the water.
Rachel Brewton, FAU Research Scientist: “Hopefully we’ll see the water clear up, but if we do not get that period of clear water, it is concerning what could happen.”
Murky water means even more of the manatee’s main food source, sea grass will die off.
As the sea grass vanishes, so do the manatees.
Kevin Tyre, FAU Research Coordinator: “And that is just because they don’t have enough food to survive through the winter months.”
Even more startling, where once there were meadows of sea grass, Dr. Lapointe is at times finding colonies of toxic algae, and it’s what some manatees have turned to for food.
Brian Lapointe, FAU biologist: “Well, this algae that the manatees were eating actually has been known to kill humans who have eaten this type of algae. This is still very much a work in progress, looking at the toxins and how it’s affecting the manatees.”
During the trip, the water was so dark, even seaweed wasn’t thriving. That means many of the lagoon’s manatees are starving to death.
Dr. Pat Rose, Save the Manatee: “It is not only a travesty that we’ve lost hundreds of manatees, but we’re likely to have that continued, and this is about 20 percent of the East Coast population has been lost over last year, and it’s not done yet.”
So what is throwing the Indian River Lagoon so out of whack? Biologists believe the main culprit is human waste from septic tank runoff, and scientists warn the ecological disaster here could play out in our backyard too, if we don’t better protect our waterways.
Dr. Pat Rose, Save the Manatee: “Manatees are like, if you will, the canary in the coal mine. They’re telling us there’s a disaster that’s well underway, and it’s also letting us know that this can happen in other places, so including Biscayne Bay, so it’s really a forewarning of what could happen in your community there.”
With their food now in such short supply, state biologists have taken the drastic step of feeding lettuce to manatees in the lagoon.
It may get them through this winter, but experts warn it’s not a long term fix to keep this Florida icon from becoming a dying breed.
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