The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission appointed three marine mammal experts from outside the Manatee Research community to give an unbiased perspective on how well the manatees are doing in Florida. Last fall the Coastal Conservation Association, a group representing recreational anglers, filed a petition to reclassify manatees from endangered to threatened or a species of special concern. In response the commission directed state biologists to conduct a yearlong study of the manatee’s status to make a recommendation on whether they should remain classified as endangered. Florida has an estimated 3,200 manatees, 144 have died this year, with 41 of those being watercraft-related.