FWRI October Research Updates

MarineQuest 2021 Virtual Event Now Available to Stream Thank you for joining us this October 14th for our 26th annual MarineQuest, and the second year we've presented a digital format. Even if you missed the day of the event, you can still watch all the Florida science content on our website and YouTube channel. Many diverse areas of research within Florida were explored, such as sandhill crane banding, searching for skunks and weasels with Cowboy, the scat-sniffing dog, how our fisheries monitoring teams keep track of populations throughout Tampa Bay and other Florida estuaries, and more. We were also joined throughout the day by several of our research groups as they took us through the process of aging fish, rescuing manatees, and processing water samples for red tide. And new this year: "Science Snippets," where we joined FWRI scientists as they turned the camera on themselves to share research insights and interesting science facts. See you next year! Sawfish Research Program Update FWC’s Smalltooth Sawfish Research Program conducts a variety of research in south Florida, with a focus in the Charlotte Harbor estuarine system. Researchers use acoustic tags that emit a unique code, allowing them to track their movements using “listening stations” throughout Florida. So far this year, FWC scientists have tagged 66 sawfish, with over 600 sawfish tagged since the program began in 2004. While this may seem like a lot of sawfish, they are still very much endangered and in need of our help. Researchers at FWC have a special permit to handle sawfish and often tag them after reports are received from the public! The data from this research contributes to research projects and management decisions that promote recovery of this Critically Endangered species. If you see or catch a sawfish, please let us know by calling 1-844-4SAWFISH (1-844-472-9347) or e-mailing sawfish@myfwc.com. These reports are valuable to us and help scientists around the state conduct their research! All research activities were conducted under guidelines within NMFS ESA permit No. 21043. Look Out for Tagged Stone Crabs in the Keys FWRI crustacean biologists are investigating stone crab movement throughout the Florida Keys. Crabs caught in our fisheries independent monitoring traps are being tagged and released into nearby waters. We hope to get enough tag reports from commercial and recreational fishermen to estimate how far crabs are traveling and the direction of their movement. Biologists are collecting this data during the commercial fishing season, as well as during the off season. Tag data will fill in knowledge gaps and may result in a larger statewide tagging effort. If you do catch a tagged stone crab, take a picture or record the tag number, and do not remove tag before returning to water. Note the date, latitude, and longitude, then report this information to tagreturn@myfwc.com or call or text 786-492-0137.  Piebald Buck Spotted in North Florida Deer Study The piebald buck researchers collared last year as part of FWC’s North Florida Deer Study was recently seen on a trail camera again this year! Did you know only about 2% of deer are piebald? The amount of white hair piebald deer have varies from being almost pure white with small patches of brown hair to just patches of white hair with otherwise normal markings. FWC’s North Florida Deer Study examines white-tailed deer population dynamics in north central Florida. GPS collars and trail cameras provide data on deer survival, home range and movements that helps inform management decisions. New on MyFWC.com/Research We hope you enjoy these articles that have been recently added/updated on our website: 2021 Manatee Mortalities Yearly Manatee Mortality Summaries  Red Tide Manatee Mortalities Annual Manatee Rescue Summaries Resource Guide to Public Health Response to Harmful Algal Bloom in Florida Stone Crab Catch Data New Publications Tracking Bears Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force Meeting Information Apalachicola Demographics, Florida Black Bear Current Red Tide Staff Technical Reports Marine Mammal Publications Seagrass Protection and Restoration In St. Joseph Bay Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Grant Program HAB Monitoring Database Oyster Integrated Mapping and Monitoring Program MarineQuest 2021 Internship Opportunities GIS and Mapping Cobia Research Manatee Mortality Event Along the East Coast: 2020-2021 Our Mission Through effective research and technical knowledge, we provide timely information and guidance to protect, conserve, and manage Florida's fish and wildlife resources.

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