TAMPA, Fla. — In Florida and the world over, Sept. 7 marks International Manatee Day. It’s a day to rejoice the beloved species and likewise advocate for its survival.
Tiare Fridrich’s job places her in shut contact with manatees.
Originally from New York, she remembers the second she fell in love with Florida’s state marine mammal.
“When I was doing my Masters, and we were out on a boat for my courses, and I saw one for the first time, I fell in love instantly,” she remembered.
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As a manatee biologist with the Save the Manatee Club, she will get to make a distinction within the battle to save a species that’s at present underneath menace.
“Every day, I feel like I can really make a difference,” she stated. “We are actively helping manatees with the work that we do.”
Right now, the work is sort of continuous for Fridrich and plenty of others who work on manatee conservation and tasks that enhance their aquatic habitats.
Last yr, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) manatee mortality data, a file 1,101 manatees had been verified lifeless throughout Florida.
So far this yr, the loss of life toll is 671. Of these deaths, in accordance to the FWC data, 130 have died naturally, and 53 from watercraft strikes. Close to 400 of the deaths weren’t necropsied.
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Even although the 2022 loss of life toll just isn’t on tempo to break the 2021 whole (929 had died at this level final yr), Fridrich continues to be involved.
“If we continue to let things go the direction they’re going, it might be too late, and we might not be able to shift back,” she stated.
In 2021, many manatees starved to loss of life due to seagrass losses within the Indian River Lagoon alongside Florida’s east coast.
The FWC and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) responded to the “unusual mortality event” with a “limited, small-scale feeding trial,” which offered lettuce to among the hungry manatees on a brief foundation.
Fridrich and her group imagine the feeding trial helped and would help one other if hunger stays a problem.
“Feeding these animals gives them an opportunity to get the nutrients they need in the wild and not have to be rescued,” Fridrich stated. “We suspect that there are a decent number of animals that didn’t need to be rescued because they had decent access to food at the feeding site.”
She’d additionally like to see extra tasks statewide to cease or mitigate the nutrient air pollution that’s inflicting algae blooms and killing seagrasses.
“The loss of seagrass is a human-caused problem. This is happening because of our nutrient pollution, and it’s not fair that the manatees have to suffer because of what we are choosing to do,” she stated.
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But Fridrich stays hopeful. The uncommon mortality occasion has triggered totally different teams to come along with a standard purpose, she stated.
“We’re on the right path, but I don’t want people to think that we can stop now because we’ve made it, because we haven’t. We’re just getting started, and there’s still a lot that we need to do,” Fridrich stated.
She and the Save the Manatee Club hope boaters will also practice better habits to stop potentially-fatal strikes. They and others must also hold a watch out for injured manatees.
According to the membership, if you spot a sick, injured, or orphaned manatee or a manatee that’s being harassed, you must instantly report it to the FWC by calling 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) or to a neighborhood wildlife company/group if the sighting is exterior of Florida.
Learn extra about how you can help at this link.