Manatees are increasingly affected by harmful algal blooms called red tide, which cause neurological damage and mass mortality events.
Manatees affected by red tide experience neurological deterioration including disorientation, inability to maintain buoyancy, and paralysis before death. The progression can take days as toxin accumulates. Affected individuals beached cannot self-rescue. Rescue of paralyzed manatees involves handling stress. Agricultural nutrient runoff that fuels blooms is a direct anthropogenic cause of this manatee welfare crisis. Recovery centers treating affected manatees face enormous resource demands during bloom events.