The Austringer

State: Manatees may lose ‘endangered’ status

The US Fish and Wildlife service is now recommending de-listing the endangered manatee.

In the words of Vizzini from “The Princess Bride”, “Are you insane?”

The St. Petersburg Times doesn’t draw the inference that they have provided the basis for in the article, that political pressure from groups lobbying for boat owners to be able to run full bore where they wish (who cares if a bunch of slow manatees end up as churning pink frothy patches in their wake?) has managed to persuade US FWS to work on lifting what little protection manatee populations have. It seems clear to me that US FWS has not tried to make this policy recommendation on scientific merit; they have had to ignore clear warnings that manatee population totals are likely to decline in any situation that puts the populations at further risk than they are already in. Nor does the evidence show that distinct manatee populations are generally stable; the article notes that about half the population is known to already be declining.

China has apparently lost their river dolphin species. Florida is aimed toward a manatee-free future. I suppose some people just think of it as a bump-free boat ride coming.

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