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Manatees, Facing a Crisis, Will Get a Bit of Help: Extra Feeding

In a first, wildlife officials have decided to provide food for the mammals, which have suffered catastrophic losses in Florida waters over the last year.

A manatee and calf in the Crystal River in Florida in November. Statewide, more than 1,000 of the mammals have died in 2021, a record. Credit...Jason Gulley

The starving manatees are easy enough to spot. You can see their ribs through their skin. They surface to breathe more than normal. Those most in need appear off balance, listing to one side.

As manatee deaths spike and Florida rescue centers fill up with malnourished animals, federal and state wildlife officials are trying something new in an urgent effort to help the species through the winter: They will provide food, as needed, at a key location on the state’s east coast where hundreds of manatees cluster when water temperatures drop.

“This unprecedented event is worth unprecedented actions,” said Thomas Eason, assistant executive director of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, at a news conference on Wednesday.

The decision is a fraught one, because scientists have found that feeding wild animals can do more harm than good. But Florida’s manatees, already threatened with extinction, have suffered catastrophic losses over the last year. Statewide, more than 1,000 have died in 2021, a record. (In 2016, about 8,800 of the mammals remained in Florida waters, according to state wildlife officials.)

A joint task force of state and federal officials has linked the increased deaths to the loss of sea grass in the Indian River Lagoon, a 156-mile estuary where manatees, also known as sea cows, seek warm water in winter months.

The sea grass was killed off by algae blooms fueled largely by human waste and fertilizer runoff from lawns and farms, a problem decades in the making. As more people moved to the region and wastewater infrastructure aged, more waste leaked into the estuary, said Duane De Freese, a marine biologist and the executive director of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program.

“The manatee situation is a symptom,” Dr. De Freese said. “In 2011, it appears we hit a tipping point.”

Since then, sea grass has died off year after year, he said, and is now down by about 90 percent. As climate change brings more severe storms and sea level rise to the region, the problem is expected to worsen.

The manatee feeding will be experimental and limited, officials said, and will likely provide leafy greens such as cabbage and lettuce. That’s similar to what manatees are given to eat when taken into captivity for rehabilitation, said Patrick Rose, the executive director of Save the Manatee Club, a nonprofit group that pushed for the supplemental feeding.

“We hope they will take it,” Mr. Rose said. “There’s no guarantee.”

The effort comes with risks. Boat strikes also kill manatees, so further habituating them to vessels or people could be deadly. The feeding program is expected to include measures to prevent that from happening, and to clean up any uneaten produce so that it does not fuel further algal growth.

Wildlife officials urged the public to refrain from feeding manatees. To help the animals, they said, locals should take measures to improve water quality, such as avoiding fertilizer and pesticides on their lawns, and switching from septic systems to a municipal sewer, or upgrading septic systems if that is not possible.

Research focused on other species indicates that wildlife feeding, while well intentioned, can disrupt migration patterns, spread disease and lead to a cascade of other unintended consequences. Short-term benefits can evaporate over time. A study on mule deer, commissioned by Utah wildlife officials after the animals suffered during an extreme winter, found increased survival and better reproduction after two years in a group of deer that received food, but no difference after five, said Terry Messmer, a professor at Utah State University who helped lead the research. The deer that received food lingered longer in their winter range and suffered a surprising number of vehicle collisions.

But humans are already drastically altering the ecosystems that animals depend on. The important thing, Dr. Messmer said, is to proceed with caution and address the root problem.

“This is a teachable moment,” he said of the manatees. “It’s unfortunate that we’re having too many of these teachable moments in our country and the world.”

Johnny Diaz contributed reporting.

Catrin Einhorn reports on wildlife and extinction for the Climate desk. She has also worked on the Investigations desk, where she was part of the Times team that received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for its reporting on sexual harassment. More about Catrin Einhorn

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 16 of the New York edition with the headline: Manatees, Facing Crisis, Will Get Food From Humans. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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