ORLANDO, Fla. — The winter killing season for manatees along Central Florida’s Atlantic coast is winding down with an astounding turn of events — a tiny fraction of the animals died compared to during the last two years.
From January through March in Brevard County waters, authorities collected 275 dead manatees in 2021 and 281 last year. The toll was 12 through the middle of March this year.
It’s not clear how encouraging that plunge in mortalities is, or if it reflects the species having reached rock bottom in Brevard. None of the dozen dead was a baby or very young manatee and that is potentially a bad sign.
