Manatee death toll hits record in Florida, ‘Red Tide’ blamed

A record number of manatees died in Florida waters this year and the leading killer of the endangered mammals was a toxic algae bloom in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The commission’s research institute said it documented 803 manatee deaths in state waters between January 1 and December 13, the most for any year since record-keeping began in 1974. That was more than double the 392 manatee deaths in Florida in 2012 and up sharply from the 453 deaths recorded in 2011. “The previous record was 766 manatee deaths and that was in 2010,” commission spokesman Kevin Baxter said on Friday.