WEBVTT 00:02.736 --> 00:07.707 align:left position:87.5% line:89% size:2.5% [narrator] The Florida manatee . 00:07.707 --> 00:18.618 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% playful and beloved by people of all ages. [jaime] They're this big kind of goofy, 00:18.618 --> 00:21.721 align:left position:27.5% line:83% size:62.5% graceful creature. [cora] You can literally 00:21.721 --> 00:27.160 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% be in a canoe or kayak, and you have this two-thousand-pound creature underneath you, 00:27.160 --> 00:32.532 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% and you would never know it's even there. [narrator] Designated the state s marine mammal in 00:32.532 --> 00:43.176 align:left position:65% line:83% size:25% 1975, manatees are often called sea cows because they graze on freshwater and marine plants. 00:43.176 --> 00:48.048 align:left position:82.5% line:83% size:7.5% This includes seagrasses, which have been disappearing at alarming levels. 00:48.048 --> 00:53.486 align:left position:87.5% line:83% size:2.5% [paul] It's heartbreaking to know that what once used to be a plush 00:53.486 --> 00:58.458 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% greenery is now basically an underwater desert. [lorae] Manatees can eat approximately 00:58.458 --> 01:05.498 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% a hundred pounds of seagrass a day. And so when you lose that seagrass habitat, you're losing 01:05.498 --> 01:09.803 align:left position:12.5% line:83% size:77.5% that food source for manatees. [dennis] Seagrass is really, 01:09.803 --> 01:12.906 align:left position:27.5% line:83% size:62.5% really important. [beth] If you don't have seagrass beds, you don't 01:12.906 --> 01:17.977 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% have juvenile fisheries. That's where juvenile fishes go. So, you have much larger problems that 01:17.977 --> 01:25.718 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% are eventually going to trickle down to humans. [narrator] The loss of seagrass in parts of 01:25.718 --> 01:34.194 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% Florida has contributed to a record-breaking number of manatee deaths since December 2020. 01:34.194 --> 01:40.533 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% The situation became so dire that the wildlife managers resorted to feeding the gentle giants 01:40.533 --> 01:47.173 align:left position:65% line:83% size:25% during the winter months, at one manatee gathering spot where the waters are warm but the seagrass 01:47.173 --> 01:50.777 align:left position:37.5% line:83% size:52.5% is scarce. [cora] 01:50.777 --> 01:55.715 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% Which is really something that's unheard of. That's never been tried out before and we have 01:55.715 --> 02:00.753 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% to keep in mind this is really only a band-aid to get manatees through the worst of the winter. 02:00.753 --> 02:05.558 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% [ron] It's all trial and error, but we thought it was worth a try, see if we could reduce some 02:05.558 --> 02:10.430 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% of the rescues and some of the mortalities. [jaime] It is a scary time for manatees. 02:10.430 --> 02:14.434 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% [beth] Manatees are a Keystone species. Meaning if you don't have manatees, you 02:14.434 --> 02:21.241 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% have serious problems with your environment. [narrator] Will the unprecedented steps taken 02:21.241 --> 02:29.082 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% by wildlife officials help save the starving Florida manatees? And what are researchers doing 02:29.082 --> 02:54.607 align:left position:87.5% line:83% size:2.5% to replenish the lost seagrasses? [announcer] 02:54.607 --> 02:59.412 align:left position:85% line:83% size:5% Major funding for this program was provided by the Batchelor Foundation, 02:59.412 --> 03:06.219 align:left position:85% line:83% size:5% encouraging people to preserve and protect America s underwater resources. 03:06.219 --> 03:17.730 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% Additional funding was provided by the Parrot Family Endowment for Environmental Education. 03:17.730 --> 03:25.471 align:left position:82.5% line:83% size:7.5% [narrator] Florida s iconic manatees have fascinated both locals and visitors 03:25.471 --> 03:29.709 align:left position:35% line:83% size:55% for decades. [cora] Manatees are a big 03:29.709 --> 03:34.681 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% draw for tourism in Florida, our state lives off of tourism. There's a lot of people who come 03:34.681 --> 03:40.053 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% here to see manatees. So, manatees themselves are supporting a big part of our economy. 03:40.053 --> 03:46.993 align:left position:87.5% line:83% size:2.5% [narrator] The gentle giants were protected by federal laws in the 1970s, 03:46.993 --> 03:53.633 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% and are currently listed as threatened on the U-S Endangered Species List. 03:53.633 --> 03:59.172 align:left position:87.5% line:83% size:2.5% Over the years, the sea cows have overcome a number of setbacks, 03:59.172 --> 04:12.118 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% but none as severe as what happened in 2021, when starvation led to the largest die-off on record. 04:12.118 --> 04:16.356 align:left position:87.5% line:83% size:2.5% According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 04:16.356 --> 04:23.396 align:left position:82.5% line:83% size:7.5% around 11-hundred animals died, which is nearly double the five-year average. 04:23.396 --> 04:30.203 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% This prompted the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service to declare an Unusual Mortality Event 04:30.203 --> 04:33.640 align:left position:32.5% line:83% size:57.5% in March 2021. [cora] So, the last counts 04:33.640 --> 04:38.911 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% showed us that we have between six and seven thousand manatees in the state of Florida. 04:38.911 --> 04:44.684 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% So, losing over 1100 manatees in a single year, suddenly six or seven thousand manatees 04:44.684 --> 04:50.456 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% is not that big of a number. If you would see a repeat of that, you know, for a couple of years, 04:50.456 --> 04:56.129 align:left position:85% line:83% size:5% that could be a really big problem. [narrator] As manatees have struggled to find 04:56.129 --> 05:05.071 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% enough seagrass, Florida s rescue organizations have seen an influx of emaciated animals. 05:05.071 --> 05:11.577 align:left position:82.5% line:83% size:7.5% ZooTampa at Lowry Park is one of four critical care centers in the state. Its staff 05:11.577 --> 05:18.051 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% are treating a young manatee called Flapjack. [jaime] He was just in a really poor state, 05:18.051 --> 05:24.123 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% very emaciated, so super, super skinny, could see all his rib bones had a very sunken in head. We 05:24.123 --> 05:28.928 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% call that a peanut head because it looks like the shape of a peanut with that indentation. So very 05:28.928 --> 05:35.635 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% important that he was rescued and brought here. [narrator] Typically, a manatee will stay close 05:35.635 --> 05:42.508 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% to its mother for up to two years to learn travel routes, as well the location of food, 05:42.508 --> 05:47.547 align:left position:85% line:83% size:5% and life-saving warm water refuges. [jaime] They definitely are creatures 05:47.547 --> 05:51.484 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% of habit. That migratory pattern is just kind of instilled with them and wherever 05:51.484 --> 05:56.055 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% their mom teaches them to go, they tend to go back to. That's what we're facing, 05:56.055 --> 06:02.995 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% is a lot of manatees are just staying put and not leaving though there's no food available to them. 06:02.995 --> 06:07.066 align:left position:85% line:83% size:5% When a manatee comes in in a really emaciated state, such as Flapjack, 06:07.066 --> 06:11.738 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% we definitely go very slow with what we're offering for food. We always say that Manatee 06:11.738 --> 06:16.209 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% stomachs are a lot like the engine of a car. If you left your car to sit for months and months, 06:16.209 --> 06:20.613 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% it might not start back up or it might not run very well. So, we don't wanna overwhelm his gut 06:20.613 --> 06:27.553 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% all at once by kind of providing him a buffet. [narrator] Flapjack is tube fed a combination of 06:27.553 --> 06:35.328 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% electrolytes, formula, a protein, and sometimes romaine lettuce, all blended into a smoothie. 06:35.328 --> 06:40.533 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% [jaime] We've definitely seen progress. He's gained, I believe over a hundred pounds now since 06:40.533 --> 06:46.205 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% being at our facility just shy of four months. So that is all going great. But for someone like him, 06:46.205 --> 06:50.910 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% you know, we're gonna just take it day by day, make sure that his weight gain continues, make 06:50.910 --> 06:56.749 align:left position:65% line:83% size:25% sure that he's filling out and that his blood work continues to progress as well. Certainly, as we 06:56.749 --> 07:01.888 align:left position:65% line:83% size:25% see animals, you know, missing out on the seagrass beds that used to be there or not being able to 07:01.888 --> 07:08.027 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% find adequate nutrition, that may definitely lead to females, not reproducing or producing calves 07:08.027 --> 07:12.198 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% or maybe even females being so malnourished that they cannot provide for their calves. 07:12.198 --> 07:19.005 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% [narrator] It can take up to two years of care before a manatee is released 07:19.005 --> 07:22.442 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65% back into the wild. [jaime] We're still cautiously optimistic 07:22.442 --> 07:26.279 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% for him. And, and our hope is that in a few months, once he puts on where he should have been 07:26.279 --> 07:35.321 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% weight-wise, he can hopefully go back home. [narrator] The loss of seagrass is particularly 07:35.321 --> 07:45.498 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% prevalent in the 156-mile Indian River Lagoon, on Florida s east coast. Known for its biodiversity, 07:45.498 --> 07:50.203 align:left position:87.5% line:83% size:2.5% decades of degraded water quality have had devastating impacts. 07:50.203 --> 07:57.176 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% [cora] We see pollutants, nutrients entering the water ways from various things such as 07:57.176 --> 08:03.416 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% leaking septic tanks untreated sewer runoff from agriculture or lawns, fertilizer. All these kinds 08:03.416 --> 08:09.155 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% of things. And these nutrients lead to these massive algae blooms that cloud the waterways. 08:09.155 --> 08:13.893 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% So, the sea grasses cannot grow. [paul] This island that we re approaching now 08:13.893 --> 08:18.931 align:left position:82.5% line:83% size:7.5% on our right is called, Gem Island. [narrator] Paul Fafeita has been 08:18.931 --> 08:23.569 align:left position:82.5% line:83% size:7.5% fishing these waters for sixty years. [paul] There's, virtually no seagrass in 08:23.569 --> 08:28.841 align:left position:85% line:83% size:5% most of the areas that, that I fish or take people anymore. Growing up, 08:28.841 --> 08:33.646 align:left position:82.5% line:83% size:7.5% we used to see manatee almost daily, regardless of the time of year, 08:33.646 --> 08:36.916 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% they are migratory animals, so we'd see them coming north and south and in the 08:36.916 --> 08:45.324 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% canal systems and, and feeding. [narrator] Mote Marine Laboratory and 08:45.324 --> 08:52.298 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% Aquarium s Dr. Beth Brady leads a joint effort of eight organizations that are using drones 08:52.298 --> 08:59.805 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% to scan for manatees in trouble. [beth] We are at DeSoto park. It is in Satellite 08:59.805 --> 09:04.610 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% Beach. So, this is an aggregation site where manatees come to when the water temperatures 09:04.610 --> 09:09.882 align:left position:87.5% line:83% size:2.5% drop below 68 degrees Fahrenheit. [narrator] During the winter months, 09:09.882 --> 09:17.557 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% as ocean temperatures cool, manatees need to find warm water refuges to avoid cold stress, 09:17.557 --> 09:24.130 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% which is equivalent to hypothermia in humans. Many migrate to Florida s freshwater springs 09:24.130 --> 09:29.569 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% which maintain a water temperature of 72 degrees year-round, while others flock 09:29.569 --> 09:39.078 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% to power plants which discharge warm water. [beth] So what we've been doing with the drones 09:39.078 --> 09:44.917 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% is we're using it to fly over aggregations. What we're looking for is signs of emaciation 09:44.917 --> 09:48.688 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% or critically ill animals, first and foremost. So, animals that are swimming on their side, 09:48.688 --> 09:52.692 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% they're unable to maintain their buoyancy. After that, we start looking at the body 09:52.692 --> 09:56.295 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75% condition of these animals. [beth] A drone can give you a 09:56.295 --> 09:59.398 align:left position:82.5% line:83% size:7.5% very different vantage point. You can look up and you can see a whole lot 09:59.398 --> 10:06.539 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% of things that you can't see from eye level. [narrator] This includes Florida Power and Light s 10:06.539 --> 10:12.778 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% Cape Canaveral Clean Energy Center, a power plant discharging warm water the animals depend 10:12.778 --> 10:22.121 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% on. The plant is located in Brevard County, where seagrass is particularly in short supply. 10:22.121 --> 10:28.761 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% At least 2000 manatees, or approximately a third of the Florida population, are 10:28.761 --> 10:33.633 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% estimated to gather in these waters annually. [cora] We are seeing a lot of manatees. They have 10:33.633 --> 10:38.270 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% to make a choice. Are they staying warm in these, these warm waters, by the power plant and forego 10:38.270 --> 10:45.011 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% feeding and risk starving to death, or are they trying to migrate further out trying to find food, 10:45.011 --> 10:49.815 align:left position:82.5% line:83% size:7.5% which would expose them to cold water temperatures which could be fatal as well. 10:49.815 --> 10:56.288 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% So, a lot of people may think that manatees are these really big blubbery fat creatures, but they 10:56.288 --> 11:00.760 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% actually only have about an inch of fat layer, which is very, very little, and it doesn t allow 11:00.760 --> 11:06.832 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% them to stay warm. So unlike seals, walruses, sea lions, those kind of animals, that have a 11:06.832 --> 11:13.739 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% big blubber layer manatees don t have that. [narrator] The dire situation led the U-S 11:13.739 --> 11:19.078 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 11:19.078 --> 11:27.086 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% to take unprecedented measures during the winter of 2021 through 2022, when they selected the site 11:27.086 --> 11:32.525 align:left position:85% line:83% size:5% for an experimental feeding program. [scott] We first started providing limited amounts 11:32.525 --> 11:37.797 align:left position:65% line:83% size:25% of forage in the middle of December, but we had no evidence of successfully feeding animals until in 11:37.797 --> 11:42.535 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% January. So, you know, we, we had weeks go by where we were trying to figure out the system 11:42.535 --> 11:46.439 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% and how it would work and what might work. [ron] Truth be told, we'd rather have the animals 11:46.439 --> 11:49.575 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% not here. We'd rather have them adapt and be somewhere else where, where there's food and they 11:49.575 --> 11:54.847 align:left position:65% line:83% size:25% could do it on their own. But, until that happens, we now know we can provide some supplemental forge 11:54.847 --> 11:59.652 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% and help some of the animals that are here. [narrator] From mid-December through March, 11:59.652 --> 12:05.658 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% roughly 200-thousand pounds of lettuce was fed to manatees at this site. 12:05.658 --> 12:09.095 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% [michelle] This is one of three refrigerated units we have at the temporary field response 12:09.095 --> 12:14.767 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% station. The other two are behind us. We stock it to the brim pretty full of both romaine lettuce 12:14.767 --> 12:19.171 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% and butter leaf lettuce so these are the two primary types of food that we re providing to 12:19.171 --> 12:23.576 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% the animals right now. We've consulted with a lot of our health and behavioral experts, and 12:23.576 --> 12:27.880 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% they've given us a thumbs up on these types. [ron] There were three things we're trying to 12:27.880 --> 12:31.650 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% do, when we, we talked through this with our experts. One is we wanna make a, a difference 12:31.650 --> 12:36.055 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% on health so we could limit rescues and, and mortality, want to make sure that we didn't 12:36.055 --> 12:41.160 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% change behavior significantly. And the last thing was, we don't want to damage the environment here. 12:41.160 --> 12:45.631 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% It s got enough problems, we're trying to help that. So when we took all that into consideration, 12:45.631 --> 12:48.768 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% you can see where we're feeding it's in an enclosed area. There's just one opening on 12:48.768 --> 12:53.739 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% the far end, and it s about eight feet wide. [narrator] Wildlife officials say preventative 12:53.739 --> 12:58.611 align:left position:85% line:83% size:5% measures were taken to avoid having manatees associate humans with food. 12:58.611 --> 13:03.249 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% [ron] The cloth barriers that's a buffer between us and the animals. When they're down in the 13:03.249 --> 13:06.352 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% water, if they're looking up, they're seeing a cloth barrier, they're not seeing us. 13:06.352 --> 13:12.992 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% [cora] Providing food to wild manatees is a really complicated issue. The last thing you 13:12.992 --> 13:18.030 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% want is these manatees to become habituated to people and trying to seek out people for food, 13:18.030 --> 13:22.535 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% and then, you know, approaching docks, boats, marinas, and putting themselves in harms way. 13:22.535 --> 13:27.706 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% That's why it's so important for individuals to not try to take matters into their own 13:27.706 --> 13:33.712 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% hands and give food to manatees. [narrator] The Florida Fish and Wildlife 13:33.712 --> 13:39.018 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% Conservation Commission and the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service scaled back their 13:39.018 --> 13:45.891 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% response in April of 2022 with the arrival of warmer water, which allows manatees to travel 13:45.891 --> 13:52.364 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% further in search of food. Officials say they are assessing whether the feeding will be needed again 13:52.364 --> 13:57.636 align:left position:22.5% line:83% size:67.5% the following winter. [cora] I'm just upset about 13:57.636 --> 14:02.775 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% how many manatees have died really due to things that would've been preventable. So we really need 14:02.775 --> 14:07.246 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% to look at addressing the source of the problem, which is the pollution, those nutrients entering 14:07.246 --> 14:17.656 align:left position:87.5% line:83% size:2.5% the waterways and addressing that. [narrator] Dr. Dennis Hanisak has more 14:17.656 --> 14:23.729 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% than thirty years experience studying the relationship between water quality, light, 14:23.729 --> 14:29.735 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% and seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon. [dennis] In most of the nineties and the 14:29.735 --> 14:36.108 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% first part of this century, seagrasses were actually improving. We were seeing 14:36.108 --> 14:41.547 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% greater aerial extension, the amount of area that was occupied by sea grasses 14:41.547 --> 14:47.887 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% and you know, the abundance in that area. That kind of stopped around 2009. But when 14:47.887 --> 14:53.259 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% things really started to be problematic was in 2011. And what happened there 14:53.259 --> 15:01.467 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% was, we had an unprecedented algal bloom. And it was primarily in the Northern Indian River Lagoon, 15:01.467 --> 15:06.272 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% but the that's the biggest part of the lagoon. So about 71% of the lagoon for example, is in Brevard 15:06.272 --> 15:11.877 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% County and that's where most of this happened. [narrator] Scientists called it a super bloom 15:11.877 --> 15:20.119 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% because it lasted eight months, much longer than previous blooms. And that was just the beginning. 15:20.119 --> 15:26.058 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% Recurring algal blooms have been an issue ever since, creating a no-win situation 15:26.058 --> 15:33.165 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% for the seagrasses. As Florida s population and development increase along the lagoon, 15:33.165 --> 15:39.571 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% so do the pollutants that make algae grow. The algae block light from entering the water, 15:39.571 --> 15:45.577 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% which the plants need for photosynthesis. [dennis] They constantly need to also get 15:45.577 --> 15:52.351 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% the oxygen down into the root systems. So, if you interfere with that in a significant way, 15:52.351 --> 15:56.855 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% for a long enough period of time, seagrasses are severely challenged. You know, after several 15:56.855 --> 16:04.029 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% weeks, seagrasses will start to, reduce in size and abundance, and then will start to die. That's 16:04.029 --> 16:09.635 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% essentially what happened in the in the blooms. So very quickly we lost probably about 60% of 16:09.635 --> 16:15.407 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5% seagrasses in the lagoon. [narrator] 16:15.407 --> 16:22.281 align:left position:65% line:83% size:25% Grazing manatees require a large amount of aquatic vegetation to survive, eating between four and 16:22.281 --> 16:27.786 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% nine percent of their body weight every day. [dennis] Where we had most of the seagrass 16:27.786 --> 16:32.925 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% resource turned out to be where we had, the blooms, which is where we had the greatest loss. 16:32.925 --> 16:36.695 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% And hence, that's why we're getting a lot more mortalities in Brevard County. 16:36.695 --> 16:41.633 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5% [narrator] In the 1990s, Dennis research was focused 16:41.633 --> 16:47.873 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% on how these stressors affected seagrass. [dennis] And then my next step though really was 16:47.873 --> 16:51.076 align:left position:87.5% line:83% size:2.5% rather than stress the seagrass, I kind of flipped it. And I said, 16:51.076 --> 16:56.749 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% what can I do to grow seagrass? The rationale was someday, we're gonna need seagrass nurseries, 16:56.749 --> 17:02.988 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% cause nothing existed at all back then. [narrator] And that time came following the 2011 17:02.988 --> 17:06.592 align:left position:87.5% line:83% size:2.5% superbloom when there was little natural recovery of seagrass. 17:06.592 --> 17:14.366 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% [dennis] So, we started to look at areas in the lagoon, specific sites that we knew from historic 17:14.366 --> 17:20.606 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% data, there had been really good seagrasses, but they were gone, totally zero for at least 17:20.606 --> 17:26.678 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% two years. So, we asked a very simple question. If we started to do experimental transplants 17:26.678 --> 17:33.652 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% into areas that had been great for seagrass in the past, but now was not recovering at all, 17:33.652 --> 17:39.725 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% could we maybe start to jumpstart things. [narrator] Dennis and his team at Florida 17:39.725 --> 17:43.729 align:left position:12.5% line:83% size:77.5% Atlantic University s Harbor Brach Oceanographic Institute 17:43.729 --> 17:51.003 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% in Ft. Pierce found they could grow seagrass in tanks. They are focusing on a species called 17:51.003 --> 17:56.775 align:left position:82.5% line:83% size:7.5% Shoal grass, the number one seagrass in Brevard County and the most tolerant 17:56.775 --> 18:00.612 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5% of environmental changes. [dennis] We can take pieces of it, 18:00.612 --> 18:06.118 align:left position:82.5% line:83% size:7.5% and we can go out and work with other agencies or other organizations, 18:06.118 --> 18:13.092 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% and start to do a lot of test planting to see if particular sites might be ready for a larger scale 18:13.092 --> 18:20.132 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% restoration and sustainable because we don't have to go back and sample from nature again. 18:20.132 --> 18:27.639 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% I think developing sustainable, nursery systems and working with, agencies and organizations 18:27.639 --> 18:31.977 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% very broadly up and down the lagoon and other places in Florida for that matter 18:31.977 --> 18:36.215 align:left position:82.5% line:83% size:7.5% is the way we need to attack the, the challenge of how to bring back our 18:36.215 --> 18:45.657 align:left position:35% line:83% size:55% seagrasses. [narrator] 18:45.657 --> 18:49.561 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75% One of those organizations working on seagrass restoration 18:49.561 --> 18:57.336 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% is the Florida Oceanographic Society in Stuart, under the direction of Dr. Lorae Simpson. 18:57.336 --> 19:03.075 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% With the help of volunteers, more than 20,000 seagrass shoots have been replanted 19:03.075 --> 19:11.083 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% into the Indian River Lagoon since 2016. [lorae] Because of the unusual mortality event of 19:11.083 --> 19:16.588 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% the manatees, it has really brought to light the importance of seagrass and the Indian River Lagoon 19:16.588 --> 19:23.729 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% and the pouring out of the community for seagrass restoration has been huge. 19:23.729 --> 19:30.269 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% [narrator] The foster program, short for Florida Oceanographic Seagrass Training, Education and 19:30.269 --> 19:37.576 align:left position:82.5% line:83% size:7.5% Restoration, is a multi-step process. [lorae] And what we ask of some of our 19:37.576 --> 19:41.647 align:left position:82.5% line:83% size:7.5% volunteers is to go out and walk the shores of the Indian River Lagoon. 19:41.647 --> 19:46.051 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% We ask that if they find a little sprig of seagrass, anything that has a green shoot and 19:46.051 --> 19:50.589 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% some root on it, to please bring it back to us. When they bring it back to us, we plant it in our 19:50.589 --> 19:56.595 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% seagrass nursery. Some of the shoots will die, just like normal house plants that you have. We 19:56.595 --> 20:01.166 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% have volunteers that come in for a total of eight hours a week and they will go through, and they 20:01.166 --> 20:06.838 align:left position:65% line:83% size:25% just slowly clean out the nursery for us, get kind of the algae or any epiphytes that are growing 20:06.838 --> 20:11.710 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% on the seagrass blades out of there. Just to kind of give the seagrass its best means of growth. 20:11.710 --> 20:18.217 align:left position:82.5% line:83% size:7.5% [narrator] Once the roots outgrow the bins, the seagrass is planted in a wet lab 20:18.217 --> 20:24.923 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% so it can spread out and continue to grow. [lorae] The water here at Florida Oceanographic 20:24.923 --> 20:30.195 align:left position:85% line:83% size:5% is pulled in from the ocean. And so once it makes it into our system here, 20:30.195 --> 20:34.366 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% there's nothing that's gonna get into it, that's going to cause a harmful algal bloom. 20:34.366 --> 20:41.807 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% [narrator] Before they are replanted into the lagoon, seagrass fragments from the wet lab 20:41.807 --> 20:48.747 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% are attached to a biodegradable mat using a small floral wire, which will dissolve. 20:48.747 --> 20:56.288 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% The goal is to have 16 shoots on one mat, which will extend out to the edges and grow through the 20:56.288 --> 21:04.196 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% burlap and into the sediment in the lagoon. [lorae] Seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon 21:04.196 --> 21:09.968 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% reproduces vegetatively. So instead of reproducing from seeds, like most of our plants, 21:09.968 --> 21:16.775 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% these are really good at just putting out rhizomes or runners, some kind of like a vine. 21:16.775 --> 21:23.148 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% And so over time it will just grow from that growing edge. And so, by putting out one acre 21:23.148 --> 21:28.854 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% of seagrass that growing edge will keep growing and getting bigger and larger, and that one 21:28.854 --> 21:33.659 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% acre will turn into hopefully several acres. [narrator] 21:33.659 --> 21:40.766 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% With the need for seagrass more urgent than ever, the Florida Oceanographic Society plans to replant 21:40.766 --> 21:47.973 align:left position:87.5% line:83% size:2.5% 48-thousand shoots in 2022 alone. [lorae] The manatees, they do not really 21:47.973 --> 21:52.844 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% discriminate on their seagrass. They will take what they can get. They do have their favorites 21:52.844 --> 21:54.313 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% but when it comes down to it, 21:54.313 --> 21:58.850 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5% a seagrass is a seagrass. [narrator] But scientists say seagrass 21:58.850 --> 22:04.856 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% restoration alone won t fix the problem. Lorae is one of many scientists pleading 22:04.856 --> 22:12.297 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% for more to be done to improve water quality. [lorae] We can pour all of our resources into this 22:12.297 --> 22:17.569 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% project, but if the water quality isn't there, that seagrass is going to eventually die anyway. 22:17.569 --> 22:22.207 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% And so there needs to be a lot more conversation and all the stakeholders involved and how to 22:22.207 --> 22:27.179 align:left position:82.5% line:83% size:7.5% change our storm water retention, how to stop fertilizer usage and pesticides, 22:27.179 --> 22:32.751 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% all the stuff that we do along our coast. [beth] I'm extremely concerned. Um, basically 22:32.751 --> 22:38.690 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% because for sea grasses, to be restored, you have to fix the underlying issues. You 22:38.690 --> 22:43.161 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% can't plant sea grass if you don't have the right environment to plant it. 22:43.161 --> 22:49.801 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% [dennis] What we do on land really can impact water quality in so many ways. The lagoon will 22:49.801 --> 22:56.508 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% never be what it was a hundred years ago, but I think if we could decide what we would like to 22:56.508 --> 23:02.514 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% do to make it better. And if those things were, you know, reasonable if there's something that 23:02.514 --> 23:08.687 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% we can imagine that it could be achieved, then I think that will lead to a much better lagoon 23:08.687 --> 23:15.327 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% than we would've had otherwise. [narrator] Many scientists say the 23:15.327 --> 23:22.667 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% manatee s current plight is a situation they ve seen coming for years. The late Manatee expert Dr. 23:22.667 --> 23:30.375 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% John Reynolds, urged the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service in 2016 to delay down-listing the then 23:30.375 --> 23:37.149 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% endangered manatees to a threatened status, citing Florida s exploding population and the 23:37.149 --> 23:42.687 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% environmental degradation that would ensue. [beth] This was kind of known about for a long 23:42.687 --> 23:46.925 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% time, that there were some problems and issues in the Indian River Lagoon with lack of seagrasses. 23:46.925 --> 23:52.364 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% And we just reached a tipping point. I feel like the down listing may have been premature. 23:52.364 --> 23:56.201 align:left position:85% line:83% size:5% Definitely. I didn't think it was a good idea based on the science. 23:56.201 --> 24:00.839 align:left position:85% line:83% size:5% [jaime] It does worry me when they were downlisted. Cause I think 24:00.839 --> 24:05.477 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% anytime you change kind of a listing on an animal, it can kind of change perceptions 24:05.477 --> 24:15.387 align:left position:80% line:83% size:10% or viewpoint from your local community. [narrator] The Unusual Mortality Event in 2021 24:15.387 --> 24:22.527 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% made it clear that threats to manatees in Florida s Indian River Lagoon are far from over. 24:22.527 --> 24:28.600 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% It s taking a collaborative effort between scientists, animal care experts, and wildlife 24:28.600 --> 24:36.374 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% officials working together to find solutions. [jaime] I would hope that they will get re-listed 24:36.374 --> 24:41.413 align:left position:72.5% line:83% size:17.5% back to endangered. I think through the years have shown that though their numbers have gone up, 24:41.413 --> 24:46.918 align:left position:67.5% line:83% size:22.5% it only takes an event such as what we're facing now. That's not gonna get better anytime soon. 24:46.918 --> 24:51.790 align:left position:65% line:83% size:25% It's definitely gonna take years to find solutions and kind of to make that forward progress. 24:51.790 --> 25:00.365 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% [lorae] I just really hope that because of this unfortunate manatee mortality event, that people 25:00.365 --> 25:04.436 align:left position:77.5% line:83% size:12.5% will see that this is really an important ecosystem and that we'll make the necessary 25:04.436 --> 25:09.307 align:left position:70% line:83% size:20% changes to change our water quality. Hopefully within my lifetime, I will see the decline, 25:09.307 --> 25:17.148 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% but I'll also see the increase in sea grass. [dennis] I think the manatees are gonna have 25:17.148 --> 25:21.319 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% a number of rough years. [cora] Fixing an issue like 25:21.319 --> 25:24.856 align:left position:75% line:83% size:15% the disappearance of seagrass, this is not something that can be fixed overnight. 25:24.856 --> 25:30.428 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5% [dennis] I think 10 years is probably too optimistic. 25:30.428 --> 25:34.533 align:left position:12.5% line:83% size:77.5% I d like to think we could do it in ten years. Twenty years 25:34.533 --> 25:38.436 align:left position:85% line:83% size:5% might be kind of a reasonable goal. [cora] It's not a sprint, 25:38.436 --> 25:42.436 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% it's a marathon.