Jun 8, 2006 1:56 pm US/Eastern
Manatee Removed From State 'Endangered' List
Manatees Now Considered 'Threatened' Species
Bald Eagles Also Removed From 'Threatened' List
Gopher Tortoise & Panama City Crayfish Upgraded To 'Threatened' Species
WEST PALM BEACH (CBS4 News) ―
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Florida Gopher Tortoise
CBS4 News
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Panama City Crayfish: Image Courtesy: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Photos by US Fish & Wildlife Service
A rebound in the population of manatees has led to a controversial move by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which has downgraded the manatees 'endangered' status to 'threatened'.
In a packed and emotional meeting in West Palm Beach on Wednesday, activists pleaded to maintain the 'endangered' label and told commissioners they were sending a wrong and potentially damaging message that manatees were doing fine.
However, the Commission approved the downgrading in a 7-0 vote, citing population estimates that have more than doubled in the past two decades to roughly 3,000 animals.
State scientists say the manatee population is still expected to drop 50 percent over the next five decades because of habitat loss, boat collisions and red tide algae. But they say the species doesn't meet the current criteria for being listed as 'endangered', which is reserved for those on the brink of extinction.
The bald eagle was also removed from the state's list of 'threatened' species. They based their decision on surveys that show a rebound in nesting from 88 nests in 1973 to about 1,400 last year and a 300 percent rise in population to more than 3,300 birds.
Florida's three-tiered list includes classifications of endangered, threatened and special concern, the lowest level.
The commissioners also voted to upgrade the statuses of the Panama City crayfish and gopher tortoise, from "species of special concern" to "threatened".
The state estimates some 74,000 gopher tortoises', which nest in dunes, have been killed by builders who are allowed to bury the animals in their burrows when clearing property. Biologists estimate their population numbers have dropped by up to 80 percent in the last century due to coastal development. Under the upgraded classification, a new management plan will be devised that will limit those live burials.
The Panama City Crayfish is a species that exists only in a small area of Bay County, along the Florida Panhandle. Land development is the primary cause of the species decline.
Wednesday's decisions won't go into effect until management plans are approved for each species, which could take more than a year, officials said. Eagles and manatees remain protected under several federal laws, including the 1973 Endangered Species Act.
Gov. Jeb Bush said "we should celebrate" the fact that eagles and manatees appear to be rebounding in the wild.
"If it's based on sound science and there's a de-listing, it means that something has been done right, that the species can be sustained," Bush said.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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