Water quality affects both wildlife and people. Beginning in December 2020, the Service, NPS, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission began noting an elevated number of manatee deaths in the Indian River Lagoon. The agencies took seriously this die-off of manatees also known as an Unusual Mortality Event or UME and set up a unified command to secure the necessary resources to effectively address the situation. In addition to rescuing manatees in need of assistance and initiating a temporary feeding trial, the FWC and FWS implemented science-based conservation measures that make a difference for manatees and habitat. Biologists are no longer documenting elevated numbers of manatee mortality in the area.
To learn more about the Manatee Unusual Mortality Event along Florida’s East Coast, visit Manatee Mortality Event Along The East Coast | FWC.
More information on the efforts of our partners to improve water quality in and around the Indian River Lagoon:
- CANA Fixed-Station Water Quality Monitoring
- Water Quality Monitoring - Canaveral National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service)
- FWC Aquatic Habitat Conservation and Restoration
- St. Johns River Water Management District Lagoon Partners
- North Indian River Lagoon Basin Management Action Plan
- Manatee Mortality Event Along The East Coast: 2020-2022
- Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida
