The definitions of endangered and threatened under the Endangered Species Act are outlined in the January 7, 2016 press release by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with reasons for the intent to reclassify the species. For a species to be classified as endangered, it must be currently in danger of extinction throughout most or all of its range and a threatened species is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. Federal agencies are required to review the status of a species or stock every five years. Federal officials must also respond to petitions regarding listings, ideally within 12 months of being filed. In this case, petitions from both Pacific Legal Foundation and Save Crystal River, Inc. initiated the response process. Based on population surveys and computer models, an estimated 6,300 individual manatees were accounted for and the probability of extinction in the next 100 years was calculated to be 2.5%, not qualifying the species for endangerment under the Endangered Species Act.
One criticism of reclassification is the fact that recent events such as cold snaps and harmful algal blooms, leading to large numbers of manatee fatalities in recent years, were not factored into computer models, making the scientific justification for the action unjustified. Other points against the decision include: a process based on how many individual animals are living instead of how well conservation actions are in protecting them; the suggestion that the decision was made too hastily on behalf of a boating industry pushing for more relaxed enforcement of manatee speed zones; a growing human population in Florida and an increase of boat traffic which will impact manatees in the future; the uncertainties associated with climate change; the difficulty of law enforcement being able to see and enforce infractions negatively impacting manatees and; the fact that the Endangered Species Act lacks any solid, justifiable definition for what the “best available science” required for making such decisions actually is.
On the other hand, the end goal of the Endangered Species Act and listing a species is to ultimately remove the species from the list, hopefully due to recovery, but extinction is also a reason for removal as well—in this case we have seen a recovery. Other reasons that support
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