Dr. Pinto: St. Johns River temperatures cooling; manatee rescues continue, deaths remain a concern

Terry Pinto presented the commission with a brief St. Johns River status report on Dec. 10, reporting falling water temperatures, limited algal‑toxin detections in recent samples, and continuing concern over manatee mortality.

Pinto said water temperatures in the system had dropped to the low‑60s and that monitoring showed “no real problems with algae blooms anywhere, no toxins detected in the last round of sampling in the St. Johns River and Doctors Lake.” He said a recent manatee rescue for cold stress at Queens Harbour Lock required transport to SeaWorld for rehabilitation and that four rescues had occurred during the year.

On statewide manatee mortalities Pinto cited current counts and trends: “In terms of manatee deaths in Florida, we have 94 watercraft deaths, out of a total of 609 deaths,” and he said the five‑year moving average has been generally flat but is rising overall. Pinto noted a current cluster of perinatal deaths (eight so far this year) but said the pattern can reflect a recovering population and changes in body condition that increase calf numbers and therefore calf mortalities.

Commissioners pressed for context and next steps. Pinto urged continued monitoring, enforcement of speed zones and habitat protections, and offered to present the newly released State of the River report and to brief the commission again at the Environmental Symposium on Feb. 13.

Because the commission lacked a quorum, no formal actions or votes followed the update; the report was provided for information and follow‑up discussion.