ShareThisCOLLIER COUNTY, Fla. - The tally of manatee deaths in Florida waters reached a record 429 in 2009, according to figures released this week by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The numbers reflect a record year for manatees killed in collisions with boats, baby manatees found dead, and deaths related to cold weather last winter, biologists said.
The unusual cold of this winter has led hundreds of manatees to gather this week in Tampa Bay to take advantage of the warm water near a power plant. Whether the cold snap will affect their mortality rates remains to be seen.
Last year's manatee death toll surpassed the previous record for deaths in a single year, 417 set in 2006. The numbers released this week run through the end of the year.
Biologists documented 97 boat-related deaths, beating the 2002 record of 94; 114 baby manatees were found dead; and 56 deaths were attributed to cold stress, according to the final figures.
Lee County ranked first in the state in the number of manatees killed in boat strikes with 19 in 2009. Collier County recorded five boat-related manatee deaths.
As far as total deaths, Brevard County ranked No. 1 with 107, followed by Lee with 60 deaths, and Volusia County with 31 deaths. Collier County had 27 deaths.
The carcass totals and the annual counts of manatees from aerial surveys are considered minimum numbers and cannot be used to calculate long-term population trends, scientists said.
A 2009 survey counted 3,800 sea cows. Scientists are still waiting for the right set of weather patterns to conduct a count in 2010, Conservation Commission spokeswoman Carli Segelson said this week.
