INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Two dead manatees were retrieved Tuesday morning near Round Island Park – bringing to three the number of apparently cold-related manatee deaths in Indian River County following the recent freeze.

The first was an infant found near Sebastian.

And, “This may just be the tip of the iceberg” of manatees either dying or being injured by the cold, said state marine mammal biologist Kristy Rush.

The cold snap of 2010 was one for the record books.

The National Weather Service reports that during the first two weeks of January there were nine days with daily lows averaging 31 degrees and daily highs averaging 56 degrees mixed with freeze and wind chill warnings.

The latest two dead manatees were found near the Round Island Park in southern Indian River County where the surface water temperature is around 60 degrees. One is a 1,200-pound female and the other is a younger manatee, said Rodney Robison, an Indian River Mosquito Control worker who towed the manatees to the park.

“I am seeing thousands of dead fish” from the cold, he added.

Last week, hundreds of cold-stunned sea turtles were rescued from the lagoon waters from Martin north to Brevard counties.

State officials will be performing necropsies to determine the manatees’ official cause of death.

Anyone who sees a dead or injured manatee should call the state at (888) 404-3922.

Tags: freeze, manatees, round island park, Weather

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 at 1:16 pm and is filed under Indian River County, Weather. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.