Rekord 1.101 søkøer fra Florida døde i 2021. Hvornår slutter det?

TAMPA, Florida – Det har været klart i flere måneder, at 2021 ville blive det mest dødbringende år nogensinde for Floridas søkøer. Da dødstallet oversteg 1.000 i november, slog eksperter alarm og frygtede, at de kommende vintermåneder ville fortsætte med at påføre sig.

Den endelige dødstal er klar - og den er dyster. Sunshine State registrerede 1.101 søkøer dødsfald sidste år, officielt det værste år nogensinde.

Sidste års dræbte er næsten det dobbelte af dødstallet i 2020, som i alt udgjorde 637 søkøer tabt, ifølge data fra Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Det er langt de fleste dødsfald siden 830 søkøer døde i 2013.

"Jeg har studeret søkøer i omkring 50 år, og jeg er fuldstændig chokeret og overrasket over dette antal," sagde James "Buddy" Powell, præsident for Clearwater Marine Aquarium og administrerende direktør for dets forskningsinstitut.

Da han først begyndte at studere søkøer i 1960'erne, anslog holdet, at der var 1.000 levende søkøer i hele landet. Nu overgår sidste års dødstal det.

"Det er virkelig foruroligende og virkelig trist," sagde Cynthia Stringfield, en dyrlæge hos ZooTampa.

Hun sagde, at zoologisk haves David A. Straz, Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center har arbejdet hårdt på at holde trit med stigningen i antallet af syge søkøer, der kommer ind, og de ser flere kalve end normalt.

Langt de fleste dødsfald skete i starten af ​​2021, om vinteren, hvor vandtemperaturerne faldt. Årets prognose for mild vinter efterlader forskerne optimistiske om, at denne vinters dødstal måske ikke er så alvorlige.

"Normalt om vinteren ser vi kolde stresstilfælde," sagde Stringfield. "Vi har ikke set så mange af dem indtil videre i år."

Alligevel er videnskabsmænd og fortalere bekymrede for, at søkødødsfald vil fortsætte med at hobe sig op.

"Det store ubekendte er, hvor koldt det bliver denne vinter, og hvor længe vil det vare?" sagde Patrick Rose, administrerende direktør for Save the Manatees. Og der er et andet problem:"Der er næsten ingen mad til dem."

Most deaths are being recorded on Florida's east coast, in the northern Indian River Lagoon, where manatees cluster in the colder months to find food and stay warm in the heat generated by a nearby power plant.

But the lagoon's seagrass—the vegetarian mammal's main food source—has been depleted over the years due to algal blooms, which are caused by pollution from leaky septic tanks, sewer systems and fertilizer runoff.

The ecosystem has been devastated, scientists say, forcing the state's iconic mammal into starvation.

In December, wildlife officials announced an effort to feed Florida manatees greens like romaine lettuce to keep them from starving. Experts warn that individuals should not attempt to feed the manatees themselves as it could cause them to become conditioned to human beings and lead them astray from their natural behavior.

It could also be a form of harassment, which is illegal under state and federal law, according to the state wildlife commission.

Physical injury is another major cause of death. More than 100 manatees died due to watercraft injury in 2021, according to the latest state data. Experts warn that deaths caused by boats are likely undercounted because the vast majority of manatees are not necropsied. The totals for causes of death for all manatees last year are still being compiled.

In years prior, a large portion of manatee deaths were driven by injury, which in some ways was controllable through speed zones and sanctuaries, said Powell with the aquarium. More recently, as a significant portion starve to death, effective solutions are much more difficult to find.

Red Tide, which hit Tampa Bay and the Pinellas coastline hard last summer, is also a contributing factor.

As the crisis continues, the public can help the manatees by donating to local organizations dedicated to saving the animals and by being mindful about their own behaviors, such as safely sharing the waterways when boating, obeying the marine speed limit and staying in deeper water channels.

They could also reduce their the use of fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals that run off into the waterways and hurt seagrass.

"Little things matter," said Stringfield. "It all adds up."