Manatee, pelican deaths suggest serious problems for Indian River Lagoon

The mysterious deaths of dozens of manatees and hundreds of pelicans may be an indication that the ailing Indian River Lagoon, among the state's most magnificent waterways, is headed for one of the more epic collapses of a Florida ecosystem in years.

The 156-mile-long lagoon, one of the richest marine environments in North America, has suffered extensive blooms of microscopic algae in recent years that have in turn triggered mass die-offs of seagrass, the submerged plants that shelter many aquatic species and are a primary source of food for manatees.

Scientists feared something bad would happen as a result, and beginning last summer manatees began perishing in areas with the worst seagrass losses, mainly in Brevard County, though no cause of death has been determined.

"The loss of manatees has been less than we've seen with red tide and from cold stress in recent years. But to me, this is scarier," said Katie Tripp, science director of the Save the Manatee Club.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-manatee-pelican-lagoon-catastrophe-20130323,0,7355131.story