This is turning out to be a bad year for manatees.
A red tide event here in Southwest Florida has already killed 174 of the marine mammals.
Florida Fish and Wildlife spokesman Kevin Baxter said the number of manatee deaths usually depends on the type of red tide and how long it stays along the sea grass manatees eat.
He says this particular red tide event is breaking records for the number of manatee deaths.
“This is the highest number that we have had for red tide in a single calendar year, and we are in March,” Baxter said.
According to a press release from the FWC, "signs that a manatee is affected by red tide include a lack of coordination and stability in the water, muscle twitches or seizures and difficulty lifting its head to breathe."
Officials are asking residents to report any manatee they see in distress near red tide to FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
