Plight of the Manatee

Our Way of Life Depends on Sea Grass Too

Manatee deaths are an alarming signal that our lagoon and estuarine ecosystems are in the process of regime change. Our big gray charismatic friends have been starving to death and we must not allow negligence, apathy or ignorance be our excuse for inaction. Nutrient polluted and sediment laden water is toxic to our estuaries, leads to algae blooms and damages Florida’s resilience. We must hold ourselves, regulators, agencies and politicians accountable, and demand some changes. Our economy, health and way of life depends on it. We have to Fix the Flow!

Sea grasses are a fundamental food resource and habitat in South Florida’s ecosystem. They have been for many millennia a primary producer in our tropical food web. Many of our most iconic animal species have co-evolved and depend on these habitats. Sea grasses require plenty of sunlight to reliably be the engine of our diverse and resilient local ecosystem. But sea grass meadows are failing dramatically, they are being shaded by algae fueled by nutrient polluted discharges into the estuaries from canals, stormwater runoff and groundwater flow. Industrial agriculture has been pandered to and our utility infrastructure is deteriorated and outdated. We massively over apply fertilizers and our excessive herbicide use may be a crucial contributing factor to our crisis. The sediments suspended in the surface water discharges are a pollutant, and are shading and often burying sea grasses under inches of muck.

The Unusual Mortality Event of more than 560 manatee deaths so far in the first quarter of this year is tragic. It is the culmination of many contributing factors and multiple stressors and it signals a shifted baseline in our ecosystem — one that must not be ignored. Much of our economy depends on boating, fishing and a coastal lifestyle. Our state promoted water quality standards and monitoring has failed to protect sea grass habitat. Our misguided water management practices and disregard for our natural systems illuminates an inverted value system. We need to stop protecting the profitability of industries and deed holders at any cost, and start allocating our effort and resources to protecting the future of our state.

Our estuaries have some common problems and they are serious. We have got to Fix the Flow and send it south. We have to conserve more native Florida and invest in our water/waste infrastructure, we need to be accountable for our own contributions to polluted runoff. Learn about Be Floridian and Low Impact Development. Target your outrage. Don’t let the Manatee’s fate be our own.