The Florida manatee is listed as “endangered” by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The FWC lists eight categories of manatee death: watercraft, flood gate/canal lock, other human related, perinatal, cold stress, other natural, undetermined and verified/not recovered. For more information on these categories, visit the FWC Manatee Web Site.
Close Encounter Between Boat and Manatee
View Map of Manatee Recovery Locations (PDF)
2012 - 4 mortalities
Four manatee carcasses have been recovered thus far from Broward's waterways. Three were watercraft-related and were found in the Hillsboro Canal, Hillsboro River, and Port Everglades. The fourth mortality was cold stress.
2011 - 12 mortalities
Twelve manatee carcasses have been recovered from Broward's waterways. Two were watercraft-related, six were undetermined, and three were perinatal (length < 150 cm) and one was human-related:other.
2010 - 27 mortalities
Twenty-seven manatee carcasses have been recovered from Broward's waterways. Four were watercraft-related, eight have been classified as cold stress, ten were undetermined, four were perinatal (length < 150 cm), and the last is natural:other.
2009 - 15 mortalities
FWC personnel recovered 15 carcasses from January 1 through December 31, 2009. Three were watercraft-related, two of which were recovered on the South Fork New River and the third on the New River. Six manatees died of natural causes, three of which were cold stress. Five of the manatees were too decomposed to determine the cause of death, and the remaining mortality was classified Human:Other due to plastic bags, rope, and wire found in its stomach.
2008 - 10 mortalities
There were ten reported manatee deaths in Broward County during 2008. Three deaths were watercraft-related, three were perinatal, three were undetermined, and one was cold stress.
2007 - 4 mortalities
There were four reported manatee deaths: two undetermined, one other human related, and one watercraft-related.
2006 - 15 mortalities
There were 15 reported manatee deaths, six of which were watercraft-related.
2005 - 9 mortalities
Nine manatee deaths were reported, two of which were watercraft-related.
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