When will manatees be taken off the endangered species list?
A. The Florida Manatee Recovery Plan was developed as a requirement of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). The recovery plan must present objective and measurable recovery criteria and site-specific management actions to minimize or remove threats to the Florida manatee. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) must, to the maximum extent practicable, incorporate into each recovery plan objective measurable criteria which, when met, would result in a determination that the species be removed from the list of endangered and threatened species. In designating these criteria, the USFWS must address the five statutory listing/recovery factors and measure whether threats to the species have been ameliorated or improved.
