Why manatees are so crucial to Florida's economy and environment

Gentle, beautiful and very large — all words used to describe manatees, a mammal native to Florida and the Caribbean.

J.P. Brooker, director of the Florida Conservation Program at the nation’s oldest marine conservation non-profit, said when manatees start to suffer, so does Florida.

“Manatees are a linchpin species of the Florida environment, and they're really the canary in the coal mine for a lot of environmental problems," Brooker said. “If our water quality is compromised, that kills sea grass, and that causes manatees to starve. If our water temperatures are often too warm because of climate change, that can also affect manatees' migration patterns. It can affect the food sources that they thrive on. So manatees really indicate to us a healthy Florida marine environment.”

Florida, an ocean state, relies on beaches and marine life, environmentally but also economically.