How Romaine May Have Helped Save the Manatee

After decades of pollution, sea grass stopped growing in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, a 156-mile estuary that served as a winter refuge for manatees. Fertilizer runoff fueled algal blooms that blocked sunlight and choked the grass—the staple of the manatee diet. With no food to eat, 1100 manatees died in 2021, reducing the population by 15% in just one year.

Desperate to save the much-beloved gentle giants, federal and state wildlife officials teamed up with hundreds of manatee fans and dumped pallets of romaine lettuce into the lagoon. Initially uncertain of the new food source, they soon took a liking to it. From January through March, manatees consumed 202,000 pounds of lettuce.

Scientists noted a drop in deaths during that time period. The feeding seems to have helped, at least in the short term. Some manatees also swam 70 miles north to a different spot where sea grass was available. Rehabilitating the Indian River Lagoon will take many years, so more work is needed to ensure the manatees’ survival.