With manatee season in full swing, Florida's gentle marine mammals gather in warm waters to escape winter's chill. But these iconic creatures face growing challenges from habitat loss, water pollution and boating collisions.

A new proposal from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service aims to address these threats by revising critical habitat protections for the first time in nearly 50 years.

The agency proposes protecting more than 1.9 million acres of critical habitat for Florida manatees and more than 78,000 acres for Antillean manatees in Puerto Rico, marking the first update since 1976.

"It's a long-overdue revision of looking at what is vital habitat for manatees to find warm water, to be able to feed, to travel, to give birth and safely raise their young," said Elizabeth Fleming, a senior Florida representative for the nonprofit Defenders of Wildlife.

Previously, critical habitat was designated based solely on areas where manatees were known to congregate. The proposed changes now incorporate scientific research, identifying areas based on the physical and biological features essential for their conservation.

The updated habitat proposal is open for public comment until Jan. 24.

Katherine Sayler, a southeast representative for Defenders of Wildlife, said the loss of warm-water habitat is a major threat to manatees, many of which now depend on power-plant outflows for warmth. The updated habitat proposal includes natural springs such as Manatee, Fanning and Silver Springs, which stay at 72 degrees year-round and are crucial for their winter survival.

"They need travel corridors to get between these areas of warm water," Sayler explained, "and that's where we think we need to really allow for the public to engage and really make comments on where are these travel corridors."

Seagrasses are vital to the health of marine ecosystems. For more than a decade, the Indian River Lagoon has experienced extensive seagrass meadow loss because of algae blooms associated with nutrient runoff and degraded water quality from septic overflow leaching into the environment.

Fleming added that the proposal is a first step. Still, much more must be done to address concerns, especially in an area known as Mosquito Lagoon, which she described as a critical habitat for manatees.

"This area of the Indian River lagoon that has had some regeneration of seagrass isn't included in the new manatee-critical habitat," she said. "So, we see that as a big omission."

Anyone can comment on the proposed habitat changes via mail or electronically on regulations.gov. Conservationists hope increased awareness during manatee season will strengthen safeguards for Florida's iconic marine mammal.

A critical fish species in the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic menhaden, could be declining rapidly.
Or its numbers could be growing.
There is no data on Atlantic menhaden populations in the Bay, and fishing and conservation groups say that's the problem.

A bill in the Virginia General Assembly looks to shed light on menhaden populations in the Chesapeake.

Steve Atkinson, chairman of the Virginia Saltwater Sportfishing Association, said Atlantic menhaden is a keystone species and may be overfished in the Chesapeake Bay.

"They're extremely important as a forage fish because they feed fish, like our iconic striped bass, bluefish and trout," Atkinson explained. "But they also feed mammals and also seabirds, like our iconic osprey. For years, there's been concern that they are being overfished in the Chesapeake Bay."

The bill would provide $3 million for the study of menhaden populations in the Chesapeake Bay. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science has developed one study but Atkinson noted funding for the research has been elusive.

Tyler Nonn, owner and operator of Tidewater Charters, takes people fishing on the Bay every day. He said his business relies on healthy Atlantic menhaden populations. He pointed out there are times even the best commercial fishermen are unable to catch adult menhaden.

"Even those guys have trouble getting them," Nonn observed. "The consistency is not there. You know, we'll have a couple years where it'll be good. A lot of that has to do with environmental factors, but taking hundreds of thousands of pounds of them out of the Bay does not help the cause."

Studies indicate about 30% of the striped bass diet is Atlantic menhaden.

Atkinson emphasized oftentimes, their advocacy faces circular reasoning, when if there is no evidence of shrinking Menhaden populations, why fund a study? But he argued the health of the species is worth checking.

"When we raise these issues, the industry usually comes back and their comment is the same, which is, 'There's no science to support your concern,'" Atkinson noted. "We need to get additional science to show them once and for all whether or not there's a problem with menhaden in the Bay."

Atlantic menhaden are not considered overfished across the entire Atlantic coast, but local depletion may be threatening Chesapeake Bay populations.


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It's been 30 years since wolves were reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park, a move that remains controversial today - as Colorado's livestock industry pushes to keep the apex predator's footprint from expanding.

Katie Schneider - the Colorado wolf representative with Defenders of Wildlife - said the Yellowstone reintroduction is one of America's most powerful conservation success stories, and has inspired other states to consider bringing back wildlife killed by Europeans expanding westward.

"Wolves still only inhabit around 10% of their former range in the Lower 48, so our work is not done yet," said Schneider. "And the reintroduction of wolves to the Southern Rockies here in Colorado is a really exciting next step in that recovery process, building on what we've learned in Yellowstone."

After voters approved reintroduction in 2020, Colorado Parks and Wildlife released 10 wolves in Grand and Summit counties in 2023 - despite objections raised by livestock producers worried that the carnivore would get their product before it reached the slaughterhouse.

Last week, the agency rejected a petition by producers to block the release of an additional 15 wolves this month.

Colorado pays producers who lose livestock to wolves, but Schneider said lessons learned in Yellowstone show that it's possible for wolves and people to coexist.

She noted that Defenders has been advancing proven conflict mitigation tactics in Colorado - including range riders, fencing, and hazing - since 2019.

"There are currently 11 different programs offered in Colorado by NGOs and universities and state and federal agencies, to assist livestock producers in preventing conflict," said Schneider. "And nearly every operation that has worked to implement these measures had no losses."

Wolves are very resilient. Schneider said just 14 were released in Yellowstone in 1995, and there are now at least a dozen packs inside the park.

She said the reintroduction has also been a powerful economic driver, bringing $35 million each year to communities surrounding the park.

"And we know up there, the return of wolves sparked a huge boost in their local tourism industry," said Schneider. "People from around the world come to watch just wolves in Yellowstone National Park."

After a months-long delay, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday that grizzly bears will retain protections under the Endangered Species Act, despite efforts by several western states to remove them.

The decision is an answer to petitions from Montana, Wyoming and Idaho to re-evaluate or delist grizzly bears in certain "distinct population segments" - a change that would have put the species under state management.

Andrea Zaccardi, carnivore conservation legal director and senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the agency is also proposing erasing lines between population segments entirely.

"They're going to look at grizzly bears across their range where they currently exist and where they could exist in the future. And look at recovery on a broad scale," she explained.

The proposed recovery zone includes Washington and parts of the northern Rocky Mountain states. The agency said in a statement that the change "will provide a comprehensive and scientifically based framework for recovery," and increases the likelihood of eventually delisting grizzly bears across the entire region.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte said on X that he's "deeply disappointed" with the Biden administration and what he describes as its "defiance of science and the law."

Zaccardi said if the federally proposed larger recovery zone is put in place, state wildlife management agencies will need to adjust.

"The states are going to have to pay more attention to protecting grizzly bears that are in connectivity corridors, where they could potentially connect populations to one another or move into areas such as the Selway Bitterroot and repopulate that area," she continued.

The Fish and Wildlife Service in October published an updated independent, peer-reviewed assessment of the species that it says "compiles the best available scientific information."


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