Record-Breaking 932 Manatees Spotted At FL State Park

ORANGE CITY — In a historic turn, 932 manatees were found at Blue Spring State Park over the weekend. Park officials said Sunday the count supersedes the New Year's Day record, when 736 were spotted in the spring.

Monday, 676 manatees were seen in the spring.

Manatees prefer warmer water and congregate in Florida’s springs when winter weather is chilly. Blue Spring’s temperature stays at a constant 72 degrees, Click Orlando reported. The large water mammals have little body fat and can suffer, or die, from cold stress if they remain for more than a few days in water that is below 68 degrees.

The Save The Manatee Club, which monitors the animals at Blue Spring State Park, said Sunday morning was the coldest of the season, with the river temperature measuring about 58 degrees. Club members told WFLA at least eight of its eight adoptee manatees were in the water.

“There is a very good chance that many more were in, huddled together so we were unable to identify them,” the club said.

If you see a manatee with white lesions on its skin, visible abscesses or sores, appearing tired or breathing heavily, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC(3922), and press “7″ to speak to an operator.

Once considered endangered, the manatee population was deemed a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act in May 2017.

In addition to the Endangered Species Act, manatees are protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act and are federally protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says it is overseeing a probe into an elevated level of manatee mortalities and is "responding to manatee rescues along the central and south Atlantic coast of Florida."

Factors contributing to manatee deaths include exposure to red tide, cold stress, stranding, starvation, entrapment, entanglement, boat propeller strikes and ingested fishing lures, hooks and debris.

It is illegal to feed, harass or harm manatees. Physically handling a distressed or stranded manatee can cause additional harm.

Anyone convicted of violating this state law faces a possible fine of $500 and 60 days in jail. If convicted at the federal level, a person can be fined up to $50,000 and receive a year in prison.