ORLANDO, Fla. — A proposal released on Monday by federal wildlife officials included that they would continue referring to Florida manatees as a “threatened” species, a reclassification that dates back to 2017. This comes as environmentalists argue that Florida manatees should be reclassified as endangered and not threatened. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Florida manatee will continue to be considered "threatened," despite arguments from environmentalists

  • The Antillean manatee, native to Puerto Rico, will be reclassified from threatened to endangered

  • 2024 saw 565 Florida manatee deaths in the state

  • The proposal adds that they will work to continue protecting the species in Florida

The reasoning behind keeping the “threatened” classification is expected to be announced on Tuesday via a proposed rule published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Despite Florida manatees being recognized as threatened and not endangered, the Antillean manatees, local to Puerto Rico, will be reclassified from threatened to endangered.

According to the proposal, the “Florida manatee is a highly managed species for which many conservation initiatives have been and continue to be implemented to ameliorate threats.” The proposal adds that threats “are not currently affecting the subspecies such that it is in danger of extinction now.”

Endangered species can be subject to more protections than threatened ones, and for decades, Florida manatees qualified for these protections before being reclassified as threatened in 2017.

A petition was filed in 2022 by the Harvard Animal Law & Policy Clinic, Miami Waterkeeper, The Center for Biological Diversity, the Save the Manatee Club and engineer Frank S. González García, urging the federal agency to reclassify manatees to their former endangered title.

This followed after a record number of Florida manatees died in 2021. Many of these deaths were attributed to starvation due to a lack of seagrass in areas like the Indian River Lagoon. To combat this problem, state and federal wildlife officials decided to feed lettuce to the animals that gathered in warmer areas near a Brevard County Florida Power & Light power plant.

Florida-based attorney Ragan Whitlock said in a statement that the reclassification for the Antillean manatee was “great news.” She recognized that Florida manatees wouldn’t have the same recognition, sharing disappointment. Whitlock works with the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the five who filed the petition in 2022.

Florida and Antillean manatees were considered together in the past, but this rule would keep the two species separate.

“While the Antillean manatee may have some individual populations larger than some of the Florida manatee, the condition of the Antillean manatee also reflects declining trends and isolation of populations,” the proposed rule said.

The rule went on to add that after “assessing the best scientific and commercial data available,” they determined that the Antillean manatee is in danger of extinction.

According to data published by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 2024 saw 565 manatee deaths in the state, with 555 in 2023, 800 in 2022, and 1,100 in 2021.

Aside from starvation, many manatee deaths can also be attributed to red tide conditions, coastal developments and getting hit by boats. The proposed rule alluded to working towards restoration efforts in areas such as springs, where manatees can seek refuge during the winter.

The proposed rule added that local governments in certain areas of Florida have adopted protective measures for the manatees, like local speed zones meant to benefit the animals.

“Federal and state agencies have made the effort to mitigate the loss of warm-water habitat in Florida by providing regulatory measures to protect spring flows,” the proposed rule said. 

The proposal adds that they are “working cooperatively with industry to maintain important artificial warm-water sources while regional warm-water networks are established to support the manatee population.”