Growing support 'uplisting' the Florida manatee as endangered

Florida Manatee

Manatee. (Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

The Florida manatee, a beloved marine mammal in the Sunshine State, may once again get added to the list of endangered species following years of high mortality rates.

According to the Marine Mammal Commission, the Florida manatee may get “uplisted” from threatened to endangered.

In April 2017, the Fish and Wildlife Service officially reclassified the sea cow from endangered to threatened.

RELATED: FWC transfers manatees stranded at Whiskey Creek canal to park

After the grotesque amount of manatee deaths along the Atlantic coast since December 2020, Florida legislators are gaining supportive momentum to reclassify the species as endangered.

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