How many Florida manatees died in 2021? New record set as state shares official total
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission this week released a 34-page preliminary report on how many manatees died in state waters in 2021.
Of the 1,101 total deaths — about doubled from 2020 — 28 occurred in Manatee County.
Manatee River, Terra Ceia Bay and Palma Sola Bay were the most frequent places where manatee deaths happened in the county.
In 2021, it wasn’t just the second year of the global COVID-19 pandemic, but a year that saw a record set for manatee deaths in Florida.
Brevard County led the state with 359 manatee deaths.
FWC officials and state experts, according to various reports, suggested starvation from a lack of food options as a reason for the uptick in manatee deaths.
So FWC officials announced in early December plans to feed wild manatees as an effort to thwart their starvation as the animals move to warmer waters in the winter months, the Palm Beach Post reported.
The FWC’s report did reveal a decrease in deaths caused by watercrafts from pre-pandemic years. A total of 103 watercraft-related manatee deaths were reported, which is down from the 137 instances in 2019.
Manatee County’s last manatee death happened Dec. 15 in the Anna Maria Sound, FWC’s report said.
