Holy (Sea) Cow!!
BY ALLY HUGHES
Manatees, or sea cows, as they are sometimes (affectionately?) named, are marine mammals that can grow up to 3.5 m long and weigh a whopping 450 kg! There are three officially classified species, the West Indian (Trichechus manatus), the West African (Trichechus senegalensis), and the Amazonian (Trichechus inunguis) manatee. They are pretty chill creatures that slowly drift along in tropical seas munching on seagrasses. When I was learning to SCUBA dive, we had our first check-out dive at the Three Sisters Springs in Tampa, Florida. This was my first time diving in open-water and it was also my first encounter with these massive cuties. As we were getting into the water, the manatees (a couple with calves in tow) were hanging around, intrigued by what these weird human-things were doing. It was really amazing to see them up close and personal but I was concerned by how comfortable they were being so close to humans. During that dive trip in late 2016, I learned that the manatee population had that year seen a large increase in numbers from 6,063 to 6,250 which was cause for great celebration as all three species were considered endangered at that time. For those of you unsure about the classifications, endangered, according to the IUCN Red List category, describes endangered species as “very likely to become extinct in the near future.”
Like most threatened species, their population is decreasing due to the impact of human behaviour. Manatees are naturally curious and friendly mammals which historically made them an easy target for indigenous hunters in the Caribbean. Their hides were used to make clothing, weaponry, and boats, and their meat was consumed. In the 1800s their numbers continued to drop due to loss of habit and collisions with boats. Since manatees primarily feed on seagrasses, they occupy shallow waters making it difficult for these slow swimmers to avoid boats and propellers. Coastal development and injury caused by fishing nets have also contributed to the loss of population and in the 1970s it was believed that only a few hundred individuals remained.
However, manatees are one of those “lucky” species that grab people’s attention due to their visibility and cuteness. Hunting was banned in 1893 and Florida was declared a manatee sanctuary. They were named in the first ever list of endangered species compiled as a result of the Endangered Species Act of 1966 and were also listed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered in 1967. This designation made it illegal to hunt manatee, with the penalty being a US $2000 fine or a one-year jail sentence. The Sirenia Project was set up shortly afterwards which aimed to record populations and implement rescue programmes for these graceful sea cows. The Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act was passed in 1978 which put restrictions on the speed and types of boats allowed around manatee refuges. November is actually known as Manatee Awareness Month in Florida thanks to Governor Bob Graham, who also established the Save the Manatee Committee in 1981. These, and many many other federal and state-led initiatives led to significant increases in manatee populations and an even more significant reduction in direct threats to their life. In 2016, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced that West Indian manatees would be downlisted from an endangered to threatened, which is classified as a “species likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.” This may not seem like the most positive downlisting as human activities still put these creatures at risk. However, it acts as a proof of concept for early intervention, conservation efforts, and enforcement of animal protection acts. Thanks to the hard work of individuals and groups, over the course of five decades, their populations are recovering and they continue to be protected. I hope you too get to see these gentle giants should you go diving in Florida!