Manatees have been starving to death in Florida waters in 2021, with a record-breaking 1,075 deaths reported by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as of mid-December. This is the most I’ve ever seen.” Manatees facing tough times “I’ve seen manatees before, but nothing like this,” said Cindy Broyles, 65, of St. We’ve never seen manatees, except on TV.”Įven for Floridians accustomed to seasonal manatee sightings, the hundreds of creatures floating quietly in the spring was impressive. “We decided to come back today when it’s not a holiday. “We tried to come here yesterday, but we couldn’t even get close to the park,” said Ken Cote, 69, who was vacationing in Daytona Beach with his wife, Kathy.
In the Blue Spring parking lot on Tuesday, license plates represented an array of states including New Jersey, Wyoming, Michigan and Pennsylvania.Īt least one of the visiting groups was making a second attempt this week. More could have been hiding in some big groups in the lower part of the run that were harder to see, according to Save the Manatee Club. The weekend visitor count included at least 16 adoptees of the non-profit manatee protection organization Save the Manatee Club: Lesley, Una, Annie, Rocket, Philip, Paddy Doyle, Lily, Lucille, Gator, Deep Dent, Aqua, Moo Shoo (with her calf, Phyllis), Flash, Nick and Whiskers. That’s what drives the manatees into Blue Spring." "The colder the the river water gets, the more they need that warm spring water. "That's the coldest we've had so far this winter season," Berchem said. On Tuesday, the river water temperature dipped to an even colder 59 degrees, said Cora Berchem, director of multi-media and research associate with the non-profit manatee protection organization Save the Manatee Club. Johns River dropped to a chilly 60.8 degrees on Saturday, prompting the warm-blooded mammals to enter the spring run, where the water temperature hovers at a comfortable 72 degrees year-round. In a trend that has continued this week, the St. Over the weekend, there were 454 manatees sighted on Sunday and 512 manatees counted on Saturday, after low temperatures dipped into the high 30s overnight. Tuesday's record tally follows a weekend manatee influx that yielded counts of 548 of the docile mammals on Monday, when long lines of cars filled with eager manatee fans also arrived at the park’s gate. We don’t see these (manatees) in Michigan.” “It’s a nice cool day, so we thought we’d come back. “We did this last year and we enjoyed it so much,” said Bob Hungerford, 69, a retired banker. Protecting Florida manatees: For Florida manatees, it will be another long winter, though Blue Spring remains a haven Wild Florida: Wild Florida: Your guide to 9 great kayaking spots in Volusia County's rivers & springs The retirees traveled by car from Titusville to DeLand, where they unloaded the bikes for the final 4-mile commute.Ī holiday manatee update: Manatees crowded into Blue Spring on cool Christmas Eve, but New Year's weather will be warm View Gallery: manatee count sets record at Blue Spring State Park in Orange Cityīob and Diane Hungerford, snowbirds from Kalamazoo, Michigan, rode their bicycles to the park along the shaded bike trail from Beresford Park in DeLand.