(26 Oct 2021) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4350022

Florida fishing guide and environmental activist Paul Fafeita says a highlight for his charter customers is spotting manatees foraging shallow waters for their seagrass food.
It's not the same thrill to see the emaciated carcass of one that starved to death.
Florida has experienced an unprecedented die-off of manatees in 2021, with 959 documented deaths as of Oct. 1, according to state figures.
That's already more deaths than in any other full year on record _ and the colder weather soon to come could bring another wave of deaths.
The number of 2021 manatee deaths will likely end up twice that of the 593 recorded in 2020 and is far above the most recent five-year average of 146 deaths in Florida, according to state figures.
The reason? Seagrass on which the manatees depend is also dying, the result of declining water quality traced to manmade sources such as fertilizer runoff, wastewater discharges and polluted water diverted on purpose from Lake Okeechobee to coastal estuaries. It's a problem getting worse every year.
These pollutants can cause algae blooms that block sunlight the seagrass needs to survive, jeopardizing the manatees' main food supply. Indeed, since 2009 about 58% of the seagrass has been lost in the Indian River Lagoon, state estimates show.
State and federal environmental officials are beginning a manatee habitat restoration program, armed with $8 million in state money approved this year by Florida legislators.
They say with cooler winter months on the way, the tendency of manatees to congregate in warmer waters could mean many more of the creatures will starve before the restoration work is completed.

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