Uncertainties regarding the operation of certain plants historically used by manatees and efforts to re-regulate the power industry in Florida and elsewhere heighten concerns about the effects that this could have on manatee conservation. Attendees also recognized that the protection and restoration of natural warm-water refuges are important concerns. The manatees' status is less certain on the Atlantic Coast, where manatees use a series of warm-water discharges between Jacksonville and Miami. Many natural warm-water springs once found throughout Florida have disappeared, some are no longer accessible by manatees, and others are threatened by diminishing supplies of groundwater. Manatees wintering in these northern extremes are at great risk when these discharges are unable to provide adequate warm water during periods of extreme cold.
Some manatees die each year from exposure to the cold, especially recently weaned sub-adults.
The workshop targeted potential solutions that will require the combined efforts of all stakeholders. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state wildlife agencies.