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State Should Not Let Wordplay Jeopardize Outlook For Manatee

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 5, 2007

By any objective account, the outlook for Florida's manatees is shaky. Scientists divide the state manatee populations into four regions and in two of those regions - including the one that covers Tampa Bay - the marine mammal's survival rates are not sufficient to sustain its numbers.

Last year a record 417 manatees died in Florida waters and mortality rates have trended upward over the last 10 years, with boating accidents and red tide claiming an increasing number of manatees.

So the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is scheduled to today to decide whether to lower the manatee's status from "endangered" to "threatened," should not gamble with the animal's survival.

Board members should listen to Gov. Charlie Crist, who said of the proposal, "I would not favor that. It would not please me. More importantly, it would disappoint the people of our state."

It also would imperil the manatee. With the state facing major cutbacks, there is little assurance the commission could implement an effective manatee recovery plan - which the commission says is the backbone of the delisting plan.

The boating and development industries have long sought to shred manatee protections, which can limit boat speeds and coastal construction. So manatee advocates were suspicious when the commission first proposed the change.

The commission staff said the move was intended to bring the state's classification standards in line with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Nature Resources, which monitors species around the world.

But as the Tribune's Mike Salinero reports, the union this year upgraded the manatee to endangered status. So why would the state view the manatee as only threatened?

Moreover, the commission stressed it would adopt recovery plans for all listed animals - regardless of status - that would ensure their welfare. While this is a sound strategy, it's unlikely the commission will be able to keep that promise.

Consider the commission's reaction to initial reports of budget shortfalls this year: It proposed to cut 90 officers from the division that enforces speed zones in manatee areas. Crist, fortunately, nixed that idea, but it is obvious manatee protections could be easily compromised in the coming years.

The commission staff says the change will actually make little difference in the regulation of manatees.

But does anybody think the development and boating interests would be lobbying so hard for downlisting if they felt it would not weaken safeguards? And lawmakers could use the downlisting to justify cutting funding for manatee programs.

The commission's reclassification proposal may be well intended, but it ignores what is likely to occur in the halls of the Capitol and along Florida's coast if the state signals any retreat in manatee protections.

If commissioners care about the manatee, they'll drop this troublesome proposal.

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