The problem requires a long-term solution because pollution from agriculture, septic tanks, urban runoff and other sources is killing the seagrass on which the marine mammals rely.
Yes, yes and yes. Agriculture, septic tanks, urban runoff, and other (wastewater treatment, sewers, etc.)
But the big one is agriculture, at least in the more rural areas, which are the most. Now, there have been some funds for a tiny amount of septics to sewer, some for a small amount of urban runoff, but never, never so we hear about any useful curtailment of the the pollution that comes from excess fertilizer for agriculture.
And we won’t until we get our political system fixed, which won’t be in the near future. We could start by the Supreme Court putting a limit on political contributions, ending the legal bribery system allowing corporations to buy legislators’ votes. Some, like Big Sugar, are said to buy votes from both parties, to assure their support in price fixing no matter who is in power.
Unless that happens, we have to rely only on the help of a very few legislators honest and independent enough to vote the right way for the planet. At the moment they are very few in number.
Our last and current hope is with the FL5.org effort which may put new protection into our state constitution. You will be hearing more about that from this site in the near future.
Meanwhile, there is no better example of our great state ignoring the causes and treating symptoms than the case with the starving manatees. Even though the pollution causing the green algae is killing tourism as well as manatees, the fixing of the problem goes untouched because AG has our Legislature in its pocket.
Read the original article here with photos, in APNews.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — More than 55 tons of lettuce have been fed to starving Florida manatees as part of an experimental program to help the slow-moving marine mammals since their natural food is being destroyed by water pollution, wildlife officials said Wednesday.
The lettuce, funded by more than 1,000 individual donations, is offered to manatees that gather in the warm water discharge near a power plant on Florida’s east coast as they typically do during cold months.
Officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a conference call that the feeding program has made a difference.
“That’s a substantial amount,” said Ron Mezich, feeding program coordinator for the Florida wildlife commission. “We’re not done yet.”
Through Feb. 25 this year, about 375 confirmed manatee deaths have been recorded. That compares to 389 during the same period last year; both are far above the 136 deaths reported in 2020 during the first two months.
More than 80 rescued manatees are currently being cared for at facilities in Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico and Ohio, according to Terri Calleson of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Some of those are abandoned calves that typically take longer to recover.
Florida legislators last year provided $8 million for several seagrass restoration projects that will get off the ground this year, officials said. But it won’t be an immediate solution.
“We’re not solving the seagrass issue in a year,” said Tom Reinert of the Florida wildlife commission….
