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Manatee Population Monitoring

Synoptic Surveys

Synoptic surveys are winter aerial surveys that cover all of the manatees' wintering habitats in Florida. The 2021 survey will not be conducted due to safety precautions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aerial view of manatees taken during a 2018 aerial survey.

Abundance Surveys

Abundance surveys are used to estimate how many manatees live in the state of Florida.

aerial view of manatees taken during an aerial survey

Population Monitoring

Population models can be used to predict future manatee numbers or fill in missing abundances from the past.

Chart showing that the manatee population in southwest Florida has grown, but not steadily.