Officials: Florida manatees eating lettuce in pilot program

By CURT ANDERSON
Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Manatees at risk of starvation because native seagrass is dying due to water pollution have begun eating lettuce under an experimental feeding program. Florida wildlife officials said Friday that the test facility in the east coast’s Indian River Lagoon had its first takers of romaine lettuce Thursday, leading more manatees to eat the food. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials say the unprecedented feeding program is a state and federal response to last year’s record number of 1,101 documented manatee deaths. Many starve because water pollution has triggered algae blooms that have decimated seagrass beds on which manatees depend.