The number of manatee deaths in Florida broke a record this week, with 769 dying so far, largely from toxic algae blooms.
The bad news for manatees came the same day the state announced good news for sea turtles, with record numbers of endangered green turtles laying eggs on Florida beaches.
Among the major causes of the manatee deaths were a toxic red tide bloom off Lee County, which killed 276 of the endangered marine mammals, and toxic algae blooms off Brevard County which claimed more than 100, according to the Save the Manatee Club, which announced the record deaths Wednesday.
"With 2013's catastrophic loss of manatee lives coming so close on the heels of the mass mortality suffered during 2010, the already difficult job to ensure the survival of these gentle and defenseless marine mammals has been made all the more challenging, and it's not over yet," said Pat Rose, the club's executive director.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed the mortality numbers and said it was unclear whether the coming year would see a repeat of the high mortality.
Kevin Baxter, spokesman for the commission, said the toxic red tide blooms that had killed these manatees had dissipated but that it would be impossible to say whether the lethal conditions would reappear. The wildlife agency says red tides are natural phenomena.
Because of the warm winter, fewer manatees came to South Florida and the death rates were normal, local environmental officials said. In Broward County, 13 manatees have died so far this year, most from undetermined causes. In Miami-Dade County there were nine deaths, and in Palm Beach County, six.