Six more manatees found dead in waters with Red Tide bloom

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that six more manatees were found dead in Brevard County, but cannot say for sure whether the ongoing Red Tide is to blame, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

"We're taking water samples from all the areas, just in case," said Wendy Quigley, a wildlife commission spokeswoman. "But, obviously, we won't know much information until the necropsies."

Four other manatees have died from Red Tide in Volusia and Brevard counties since October. That is the highest number of Red Tide deaths on Florida's east coast since the state began a more precise tracking in 1996, Quigley told the Sentinel. Historically, manatees that succumb to Red Tide are found in southwest Florida.