Florida's manatees need help now

One in 10 of Florida's manatees have died in the last six months.

Years of human pollution have fueled algae blooms that turn crucial manatee habitat into toxic sludge, killing the seagrass the manatees need to eat to survive. As a consequence, the first six months of 2021 broke the previous record for annual manatee deaths.

It's clear that algal blooms are fueling this crisis for Florida's manatees. That's why I'm urging you to exercise your authority under the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act to designate these algal bloom events as "Hypoxia or Harmful Algal Blooms of National Significance," thus allowing federal aid to be released to stop these blooms and halt their harmful effects on Florida's vulnerable manatees.