Manatees granted highest federal protection under bipartisan Buchanan bill

The West Indian manatee would be officially upgraded from “threatened” to “endangered” under a bipartisan bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL).

The Manatee Protection Act, H.R. 4946, which Rep. Buchanan introduced on Aug. 6 with lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL), would upgrade the manatee designation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to refocus its attention on manatee population rehabilitation, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Buchanan’s office.

“Manatees are beloved, iconic mammals in Florida,” Rep. Buchanan said. “This year’s record-breaking number of manatee deaths is staggering and extremely concerning, which is why upgrading their ESA status is absolutely critical. We must do everything we can to protect these gentle giants and Florida’s official marine mammal.”

If enacted, H.R. 4946 would also authorize increased federal resources, including more funding and personnel, the bill summary says.

H.R. 4946 is supported by Animal Wellness Action and the Save the Manatees Club.

In related action, Rep. Buchanan in June called on the FWS to upgrade the manatee from “threatened” to “endangered” in a letter sent to FWS Director Martha Williams. 

“There is a broad consensus among marine biologists and conservationists that the driving force behind the rapidly growing death rate is the degradation of the water quality in manatee habitats, growing levels of water pollution, and an increase of harmful algal blooms that kill off seagrass,” the congressman wrote. “As seagrass disappears, manatees starve to death. Wildlife observers noted earlier this year that many of the dead manatees washing up on the shores were seriously emaciated.”

In July, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment to a government funding bill offered by Rep. Buchanan to transfer $2 million to FWS to examine the number of manatee deaths and report to Congress on ways to protect the species.