"CANAVERAL NATIONAL SEASHORE, Fla. - A whiskered gray snout pokes above the surface of Haulover Canal, an inland waterway adjacent to Canaveral National Seashore in Florida.

A handful of people are gathered on shore at the canal’s Manatee Observation Deck, waiting patiently for this very moment.

“Look!” they shout almost in unison as three more of the marine mammals come into view.

For many Florida visitors, spotting a manatee is a bucket-list experience. And while decades of conservation efforts have boosted their numbers, challenges are prompting renewed worry about the future of a species officially listed as threatened with extinction.

While the Endangered Species Act has helped Florida manatees avoid extinction, the species has yet to fully recover and faces many challenges on the road to that recovery."

Jan Wesner Childs reports for the National Parks Traveler April 5, 2026. [2]