Florida's manatee population is rebounding. Wildlife authorities counted a record number six-thousand manatees during an annual census in February.
Manatee populations have suffered in recent years. Among the worst-hit are manatees in the Indian River Lagoon in Brevard County, where water quality problems also have killed off dolphins and pelicans.Holly Edwards of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the count is an encouraging sign for the endangered animals.
"Even with these mortality events that we've had recently we do see indications that the population is recovering, and I think that's due to 20 or more years of some of the management actions that have been taken", said Edwards.
She says slowing down motor boats and cleaning up waterways have helped. The count exceeded the previous all-time high in 2010 by almost a thousand manatees.