For the 43rd year, November is Manatee Awareness Month
November is Manatee Awareness Month, an annual month-long dedication to manatees and their conservation in Florida and beyond. Former Florida Governor Bob Graham first declared November as Manatee Awareness Month in 1979, when the state began designating manatee protection zones in areas where manatees gather during the winter. November is typically when manatees return to Florida’s warmer waters from their summer migratory routes.
(from the Save the Manatee Club website)
It is estimated that in the late 1960s the Florida manatee population was just several hundred. In 1973, the year the federal Endangered Species Act was passed, manatees became charter members of the endangered species list.
Jimmy Buffet and Patrick Rose, SMC Executive Director, at the time of the founding of the Save the Manatee Club in 1981.
At the time of the awareness month designation there were 800 to 1,000 manatees. Two years later, Save the Manatee Club was founded by Jimmy Buffet (yes, Mr. Margaritaville) and the then-governor of Florida, Bob Graham.
Save the Manatee Club’s efforts have been critical to the recovery of the manatee. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recorded as many as 6,620 manatees in its 2017 aerial survey. Since then the population has dropped, with last year the deadliest on record. The FFWCC recorded 1,101 manatee deaths. In 2022 so far, 718 animals have been found dead along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
This horrific mortality rate was precipitated by fertilizer runoff which created an algae bloom that devastated the seagrass beds that are the staples of the manatee’s diet. Many animals are perishing from starvation. If manatees venture out from their usual winter zones in search of food they risk deadly cold stress and boat strikes.
This is not an easy time to be a manatee.
How can we help?
Save the Manatee Club has a list. Of course.
If you are in Florida, there are many things you can do, from reporting sick and injured animals to simply respecting boat speed limits in manatee zones. However if you, like me, live far from Florida, you can still help. The Adopt-A-Manatee program is a classic.
I work to raise awareness of these wonderful animals and their plight, donating 10% of my vintage fashion sales earnings to Save the Manatee Club. This year, in honor of Manatee Awareness Month, I am dedicating 25% of my earnings to SMC. Some of the items to be listed through the rest of the month will be entirely for the manatees. Your purchases will help now more than ever!
Vintage items from my shop in manatee-approved shades of blue (Manatee photo by Koji Kamei from Pexels.)