June 13, 2006 — Florida's state wildlife commission has voted to take the manatee off the state's endangered species list, saying manatee populations are on the rebound.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to designate the manatee as a threatened species rather than endangered. It also voted to remove the bald eagle from its list of threatened species.

State officials said the decisions would not affect how the species are protected. Both the bald eagle and manatee remain protected under federal law, including the 1973 Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers the manatee endangered and the bald eagle threatened.

"There will be no less protection," commission spokesman Henry Cabbage said.

But some environmentalists said the reclassifications could set in motion a downward spiral of state funding and protections.

"As species like the manatee are reclassified to a less imperiled status before their populations have actually recovered, state funding for research, management and law enforcement will likely be directed elsewhere," said attorney Martha Collins.

Collins represents 17 environmental groups who last week filed a petition with the state seeking to revamp the protection classification system.

Florida's classification system consists of three categories: endangered, threatened and special concern. These categories are based on a species' population, how fast it is declining and when extinction is projected, among other factors.

Scientists have said the manatee population is expected to drop 50 percent over the next five decades because of habitat loss, boat collisions and red tide algae. Still, they said the species is not endangered - a classification that indicates a species is on the brink of extinction.

An annual survey released in February found 3,116 manatees in Florida waters, up from 1,267 in 1991, the first year the census was conducted. But state scientists said the increase shown in the survey is partly a result of better techniques for finding the animals.

---

Name: West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus)
Primary Classification: Trichechidae (Manatees)
Location: Florida to northeastern Brazil, including islands.
Habitat: Rivers, estuaries and coastal waters.
Diet: Seagrass and other aquatic plants.
Size: From 8 to 13 ft in length and 440 to 1,300 lbs in weight.
Description: Gray to gray-brown skin; small eyes; whiskered snout; absence of external ear flaps; two large flippers; flat, paddle-like tail
Cool Facts: Manatees are the only exclusively herbivorous marine mammals. It feeds, mainly at night, by walking along the bottom of the ocean with its fore limbs.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Major Threat: Human interference
What Can I Do?: Visit the Save the Manatee Club for information on how you can help.

Get More News: