Florida manatees had a better than average year in 2023. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) data, there were 556 manatee deaths reported in 2023, compared to the five-year average of 793 manatee deaths per year.

According to FWC data, in 2022, 800 manatee deaths were reported in Florida; in 2021, a record 1,100 manatees died. In 2020, there were 637 manatee deaths; in 2019, 824 deaths.

According to the Save the Manatee Club, the results are encouraging, but manatees still need help and protection.

While the causes of death for many of the manatees was not established because necropsies were not performed, researchers point to the loss of plants that make up the manatees’ diet.

The epicenter of the 2021 manatee die-off was in the Indian River Lagoon. The Save the Manatee website explains: “An excess of nitrogen and phosphorus in waterways can fuel algae and cause it to grow faster than the ecosystem can tolerate. In the Indian River Lagoon, a combination of improperly treated sewage, leaking septic systems, fertilizers, and stormwater runoff has led to eutrophication. This means that frequent harmful algal blooms have blocked the light necessary for photosynthesis. The result: the tragic loss of more than 90% of the seagrass biomass within the Indian River Lagoon.

“Before the Indian River Lagoon can be functionally restored, it will be necessary to prevent new sources of nutrient pollution from entering the lagoon as well as strategically removing or sequestering legacy nutrients to make them unavailable as a source of new Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB). Ideally, seagrasses will begin to reestablish on their own, but the process may be facilitated through the restoration of filter feeding organisms and selective pilot seagrass restoration projects. Ultimately, we must reverse those conditions that lead to the loss of seagrasses in the first place if we are going to restore seagrasses.”

In 2023, eight manatees died as a result of accidents with flood gates or locks. In 2022, such accidents resulted in 19 manatee deaths. The five-year average is 9.

Watercraft accidents killed 89 manatees in 2023. The five-year average for watercraft deaths is 106.

According to the preliminary data for 2023, Lee County led the state in manatee deaths in 2023, with 112. Brevard County had 57. Pinellas County had 46 manatee deaths. Indian River County had 30 manatee deaths.

In 2022, a University of Florida study suggested a connection between red tide events in the Gulf of Mexico and the deaths of manatee calves in Southwestern Florida waters.

Around Lake Okeechobee:

• Okeechobee County had 2 manatee deaths reported in 2023. Both were perinatal. (Perinatal deaths include stillbirths and the deaths of young manatee calves.)
• Hendry County had 2 manatee deaths reported in 2023. Both involved flood gate/lock accidents.
• Glades County had 7 deaths: 1 flood gate/lock accident; 1 natural causes; 1 undetermined and 4 not necropsied.
• Martin County had 6 deaths: 1 flood gate/ lock accident, 1 perinatal, 2 natural and 1 undetermined.
• Palm Beach County had 6 deaths: 2 watercraft collisions, 3 natural causes, 1 not necropsied.

A 2022 FWC survey estimated the state's manatee population is between 8,350 and 11,730.