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Manatees swim in Florida's Crystal River.
(atese / Getty Images)
Press Release May 10, 2022

Lawsuit: EPA Must Protect Manatees from Water Pollution

Hundreds starved to death in 2021 because unchecked pollution is killing seagrass

Manatees need seagrasses to survive, but pollution that sparks algae outbreaks is shading out the grasses, leaving the sea cows with nothing to eat.
(atrese / Getty Images)
Press Release December 20, 2021

Groups File Legal Action to Protect Manatees from Water Pollution

Manatees starved to death because unchecked pollution killed seagrass

Manatees swim in Florida's Crystal River.
(atese / Getty Images)
Update May 10, 2022

We’re Suing: Manatees Need More than Lettuce from our Leaders

Earthjustice is using the power of the law to compel the government to fix the pollution causing manatee deaths.

Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) at Crystal River, Florida. (Moment Open / Getty Images)
video April 3, 2023

Giving Manatees a Fighting Chance

We’re working to protect manatees from unprecedented mass starvation.

In the News: WOSU January 31, 2022

Columbus Zoo takes in four manatees from Florida, a species on the brink

Elizabeth Forsyth, Attorney, Biodiversity Program, Earthjustice: “EPA is the federal agency that at the end of the day is responsible for ensuring that our nation waters are clean and that species like the Florida manatee are protected and can thrive, and at the end of the day, it’s EPA who needs to come in and…

Article November 13, 2013

Pollution Killing Manatees at Record Pace

Yet, industry group seeks to removed endangered species status.

document May 10, 2022

Manatee Complaint

This case challenges the failure of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reinitiate Endangered Species Act section 7 consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service on water quality standards for Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, where poor water quality has caused catastrophic mortality of Florida manatees. 

Press Release April 20, 2001

Endangered Manatees Awarded New Protections Thanks to Landmark Legal Settlement

Florida’s endangered manatee population received a welcome boost in a landmark legal settlement reached between conservationists and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

document December 20, 2021

60-Day Notice of Intent to Sue EPA Over Water Quality and Manatees

60-day notice of intent to sue the Environmental Protection Agency to protect water quality manatees depend on

In the News: Tampa Bay Times May 18, 2022

Op-Ed: EPA must do its job to protect manatees from deadly pollution

An opinion piece by Elizabeth Forsyth, Senior Attorney, Biodiversity Defense Program, Earthjustice

Press Release February 20, 2001

Endangered Manatees Awarded New Protections Thanks to Landmark Legal Settlement

Florida’s manatees received a welcome boost today with the announcement of a settlement between the conservationists and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC).

Article April 12, 2013

Manatees Dying in Florida's Algae-Choked Waterways

Florida tourism promoters are always looking to get stories in the newspaper to lure northern tourists — and their vacation cash — down here. But a recent story in the New York Times wasn’t what they had in mind.

Press Release February 17, 2009

Manatee County Commission Illegally Approved Mosaic Phosphate Mine Permits

Fighting strip-mining within Peace River watershed

A manatee swimming in Florida’s Crystal River. In 2021, over a thousand manatees in Florida died and more than half of those deaths were due to lack of their chief food source, sea grass. Sea grasses cannot survive the excessive levels of nitrogen and phosphorus flowing into lagoons from areas such as industrial farms, golf courses, and heavily landscaped developments. (Greg Amptman / Shutterstock)
feature April 14, 2023

Florida & Puerto Rico

What happens in Florida and Puerto Rico informs climate, energy, and environmental policy across the country.

Press Release March 19, 2003

Manatee Protections Upheld by Appeals Court

Brevard County speed limit zones will protect endangered mammals from speed boats

An algae outbreak on Lake Okeechobee in Florida, photographed on June 9, 2023. (Ralph Arwood and Calusa Waterkeeper)
From the Experts June 27, 2023

Another Florida “Summer of Slime” — And State Government Just Made It Worse

A newly passed state law prevents local cities and counties from passing new local fertilizer regulations — or strengthening ones already on the books

Press Release April 17, 2002

Judge Issues Order To Protect Manatees

Boats must slow down for endangered mammals

Press Release August 1, 2024

Conservation Groups Renew Challenge to Endangered Species Act Regulations

Revised rules still undermine the fundamental purpose of the landmark conservation law