Manatees have such charisma and charm; I don’t live far from them, but can’t help but wish they were in my “backyard,” instead of several miles from where I live. It won’t be long till they increase their numbers in Florida, when they can be seen in southeastern waters from April through October. When things get a bit chilly, you can find these pudgy vegetarians in freshwater springs.
The good news is that the manatee population has increased from 1200 to 6300 since 1991.
But… I’ve heard their 2016 status has been downgraded from endangered to merely threatened. Is this a good idea? Many don’t believe it is, including me.
The Pacific Legal Foundation has petitioned the federal government to lower their endangered status. Who would benefit from this change? Not the manatees, that’s for sure. It is in the interests of landowners and developers (who have to currently take into consideration the impact on manatees that a development might have.)
Boats are still the biggest threat to these guys. In fact, from 350 to 400 manatees die every year in boat accidents. Not only that…sea grass die off and red tide blooms take their toll as well, by affecting their food supply.
After my first trip to visit the manatees (in Crystal River back in 1999 or so) I got all inspired to create some manatee jewelry. I remember thinking “If I can just capture that face!” It actually was a bit more difficult than I anticipated. But I persisted. My first manatees were handcrafted in clay – later on they evolved to pewter and finally 14K gold and sterling silver.
I only hope that manatees are around to inspire artists of all kinds far into the future. After all, they are some of the most unique and irresistible sea mammals around.