DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – Manatees in North Florida are dying at a higher rate than they were in 2023 and 2024, including five deaths in Duval County in June, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data.
The FWC said in June 2025, three died during perinatal, one at a canal lock, and another is undetermined.
It also said 34 manatees in North Florida have already died in Northeast Florida.
Brittney Divittore-Goodrum is a biology lecturer at the University of North Florida. She studies mammals, including manatees.
“It stems back to the unusual mortality deaths manatees suffered in 2020 through 2022 and that event was due to starvation,” she said.
A manatee’s primary source of food is seagrass, but it’s not always available due to pollution in the waterways.
The mothers are giving birth to malnutrition calves that are dying before birth or right after birth. This is in addition to a standard calf survival rate of 60 percent. There is hope as manatees are now improving.
“With increased reproduction we should be seeing, we might be seeing an increased rate of perinatal death,” Divittor-Goodrum said.
Climate change and pollution are a part of the problem, but sometimes they can lose their way.
In 2016, a manatee got off track during migration and ended up in a storm drain. After hours of digging to access the drain, the manatee was rescued alive.
A typical adult manatee is about 9 to 10 feet long, but can reach over 13 feet and weigh about 1,000 pounds.
But despite how big they are, boaters are still hitting them.
“Another leading cause of death in manatees is vessel strikes, so if you are out on the water and you see a manatee, please slow down, look out for them, don’t assume they can just swim out of your way,” Divittore-Goodrum said.
Here’s how you can help: don’t pollute the water and watch out for manatees while you’re in the water.
Click here for more information about 2025 manatee deaths.