The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says manatee populations in Florida are increasing. The State’s manatee population estimate conducted in 2015-2016 and show that there were between 7,520 and 10,280 manatees in Florida – higher than previous estimates. The FWC said the wide gap in the population estimate is due to the ability of manatees to go undetected in some areas making it hard to get an exact count. FWC also reported that manatees faced an elevated mortality rate in 2018 due to red tide and watercraft incidents.