Letter to the Hon. Richard Spinrad, Administrator National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Mast Calls for NOAA to Address Causes of Manatee Mortality

Letter

Dear Administrator Spinrad:

We write to respectfully request that you take urgent action in support of ongoing efforts
to improve the ecology of Florida's Indian River Lagoon estuary. Urgent action is required to
improve water quality and prevent algal blooms to break the estuary's ongoing cycle of
ecological decline.

The Indian River Lagoon is one of the most unique and biologically diverse ecosystems
in the United States. The estuary makes up nearly 40 percent of Florida's Atlantic coast, and is
home to more the 4,000 plant and animal species, including our state's beloved gentle giant, the
West Indian manatee. Sadly, the Indian River Lagoon is ground zero for one of the worst mass
mortality events to ever affect manatees in Florida. As of July 2, 2021, just half-way through the
calendar year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has reported 841 manatee
mortalities, which is the most ever recorded in a single year. Of these mortalities, 435 occurred
in the Indian River Lagoon, likely due to starvation as the result of a shortage of available food
resources. We welcome the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's designation of
these events as an "unusual mortality event," but more must be done.

In recent years, seagrass coverage within the Indian River Lagoon ecosystem has
severely declined due to algal blooms that obstruct water clarity and prevent sunlight from
reaching seagrass beds. In 2019, the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program reported in
its updated Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) that the lagoon had lost
an estimated 52 percent of its seagrasses since 2009, and attributed the decline to poor water
clarity and recurring algal blooms. More recently, additional seagrass die-offs have occurred as
a result of algal blooms and poor water quality. These die-offs can lead to cyclical impacts, as
dead seagrasses can block sunlight and contribute to subsequent algal bloom and hypoxia events,
killing more seagrasses and wildlife such as manatees.

The Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act authorizes you to
designate severe harmful algal blooms and hypoxia events as "Hypoxia or Harmful Algal
Blooms of National Significance," and make federal assistance funds available to mitigate the
root causes of the algal blooms and hypoxia. We believe that the deaths of hundreds of
federally-designated West Indian manatees pose a severe enough situation to warrant such a
designation, especially because these deaths have ultimately been caused by the impacts of
hypoxia and algal blooms that have decimated the species' main food source within the Indian
River Lagoon. Additionally, we urge you to coordinate with the State of Florida on water quality
and seagrass restoration projects that are already being planned and implemented to prevent algal blooms in the Indian River Lagoon, and to consult with the Indian River Lagoon National
Estuary Program in identifying priority areas for remediation.

Addressing the root causes of algal blooms and hypoxia is necessary to prevent the deaths
of manatees and other wildlife in the future. Improving ecological conditions within the Indian
River Lagoon by improving water quality, preventing harmful algal blooms, and planting new
seagrasses should all be priority actions to achieve these goals. We respectfully urge you to
designate the conditions within the Indian River Lagoon as a Hypoxia or Harmful Algal Bloom
of National Significance in order to help achieve these goals and support our irreplaceable
wildlife.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter

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