Manatee populations in Florida continues to grow, setting a new record last winter with more than 6,000 on its third year in a row. This annual count of the state's endangered species shows a more promising future for the creature.

To date, there are 6,620 manatees in Florida's waters, making this the highest ever on record, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The final count will be released this April after a re-checking.

According to biologist Holly Edwards of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, this is not necessarily a record but this is not that far off. Sometimes the commission can miss animals and so the real number is not known.

Early this year, researchers from 10 organizations observed the manatees from January 30 to February 2 and tallied 3,488 manatees along the eastern coast of Florida and 3,132 along the west coast. Despite yearly counts, weather can also be a crucial factor in accurate population surveys.

 

These surveys are usually carried out after a cold front to see the known winter manatee hotspots in Florida. In addition, warm and sunny weather along with low winds made it easier for this year's count, according to officials.

Manatees are drawn to warmer waters, which makes power plants an ideal habitat. The gentle creatures often huddle to water discharges of power plants such as the Florida Power and Light Co. located in Port St. John. Edwards said that they were able to see the manatees due to the cold weather as they moved near the power plants, revealing a consistent count.

During winter, manatees flock to these warm water sites, near power plant discharges. Due to this behavior, Florida wildlife officials are now pushing for federal protection for manatee sites like springs and power plant discharge areas for its population to recover.

Now, federal wildlife officials plan to change the classification of the Florida manatee from endangered species to threatened due to this boost in population numbers. To date, the state of Florida spends more than US $2 million a year to conserve the manatees. In 2016, the official count for winter was 6,250 manatees in Florida waters, which is 187 more than 2015 and the most surveyed since the surveys began in 1991.