61 manatees died in Florida in January, FWC says

Data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shows more than 60 manatees died in Florida in the first month of 2019.

A preliminary manatee mortality report posted on the FWC website shows 61 manatees died from Jan. 1 to Feb. 1. That’s down from the 106 manatees that died during that same time frame in 2018, but is higher than the five-year average of 57.

Data shows the biggest cause of death among the manatees last month was cold stress.

The FWC says 19 died from cold stress. Nine died from watercraft collisions. More than a dozen deaths were due to unconfirmed causes.

Brevard, Lee and Collier counties saw the most deaths, with nine manatees each.

At least seven manatees died in Tampa Bay area counties, according to the FWC data. Four died in Citrus County, one in Hillsborough County, one in Manatee County and one in Sarasota County.

The FWC is reminding everyone that you can report sick, injured or dead manatees to their Wildlife Alert hotline. The number is 1-888-404-3922.