manatee

A proposed overhaul of the Marine Mammal Protection Act is aimed at bringing "objectivity and clarity" to terms defined in the law.

James "Buddy" Powell was chief zoological officer at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. He researched the gentle sea cows throughout much of their range. Powell was 70.

After cuts in staff at the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, the world's largest manatee sanctuary, reports have surfaced of manatees being harassed.

A judge says Florida needs to seek what is known as an "incidental take permit" from federal wildlife officials to help minimize the effects of discharges on manatees.

The proposed rule would keep the Florida manatee as threatened, continuing its status since being delisted as endangered in 2017. A public hearing is set for Feb. 26.

19 manatees rescued after storm-related floodwaters receded were discovered thanks to reports made to FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline.

Nearly 2,000 manatees died in Florida in 2021 and 2022 as water pollution killed the seagrass they feed on. The manatee was downlisted in 2017 from endangered to threatened.

Plans are already in place to resume an experimental feeding program for manatees that gather at a warm-water power plant near Cape Canaveral.

State wildlife officials are set to establish a “seasonal” no-entry zone in Brevard County waters to further protect threatened manatees, which have seen an unprecedented number of deaths mostly linked to malnutrition.

Wildlife agencies say they are winding down a program to provide supplemental lettuce for starving manatees in the Indian River Lagoon.