Fish and Wildlife Research Institute November Research Updates

Manatee Awareness Month November was Manatee Awareness Month! Check out our Youtube channel and Facebook page for Science Snippets content about Manatee biology as well as ways you can help and threats to look out for. Manatees are beloved in Florida and around the world, but face serious threats now and in the future. Boat strikes, entanglements, loss of habitat, and loss of seagrass due to harmful algal blooms and poor water quality are all factors that negatively affect manatees.  Rescuing manatees remains a priority for us and since January 1, 2021, FWC and partners have rescued over 130 manatees statewide. We continue working closely with partners to investigate the Indian River mortality event and share information as it becomes available as well as exploring proactive options to assist affected manatees. You can help manatee conservation by reporting injured, distressed or dead manatees to the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922 and by purchasing a Save the Manatee license plate. North Atlantic Right Whale Aerial Surveys Begin  Each winter FWC and partners conduct these surveys to detect right whales, document calves, help prevent vessel collisions with whales, and to locate injured, entangled, and dead whales. So far this season, right whales have been spotted from South Carolina to Florida. Many of these November reports came from sharp-eyed boaters who called in their whale sighting information! The warm coastal waters of the Southeast U.S. are where right whales give birth and nurse their young. This is a vulnerable phase, making it extremely important for boaters to remain alert and be aware of the whales' presence and tendency to rest near the surface of the water. Learn more about FWC’s right whale research program on our YouTube channel.  Please continue to report right whale sightings to 1-877-WHALE-HELP (1-877-942-5343) or to the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF Ch. 16.  Did I Find the World's Largest Sand Dollar?  This is a question our biologists at the Florida Biodiversity Collection are often asked. And the answer is typically complicated because different sand dollar species attain different maximum sizes and on top of that, the Guinness World Records doesn’t offer a sand dollar record size. To help answer this question, our collection managers came up with some quantifiable data: the largest (total length) specimens of 5 sand dollar species held in FWRI’s Florida Biodiversity Collection. While other museums may have larger species and larger specimens, these sizes are a fair guide for “large sand dollars” found in Florida’s waters. So, do you have a world-record sized sand dollar? If you’ve found one larger than these, you just might! Long Spined Urchins Released onto Reef in the Keys Last week ~200 long-spined sea urchins were released onto a reef in the middle Florida Keys. Long-spined urchins are a vital member of Florida’s Coral Reef, where they are important grazers, removing algae that can reduce the health of the reef. However, their population drastically declined in the 1980’s due to an undetermined disease and has never fully recovered. In collaboration with University of Florida and The Florida Aquarium, FWC researchers are working to restore the species to Florida’s Coral Reef as part of a coral reef restoration strategy. The released urchins were the result of captive-spawning and were let go on a series of experimental plots enhanced with staghorn coral and/or artificial shelters designed to mimic urchin shelter. FWC will monitor these sites regularly to assess how enhancing habitat on coral reef restoration sites can increase the survival of the species once released back into the wild. New on MyFWC.com/Research We hope you enjoy these articles that have been recently added/updated on our website: 2021 Manatee Mortalities Red Tide Manatee Mortalities   Annual Rescue Summaries, Manatees Manatee Mortality Event Along the East Coast: 2020-2021 Index Nesting Beach Survey Totals: 1989-2021 Internship Opportunities  New Publications Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force Meeting Information Chronic Wasting Disease  Implementing a Statewide Protocol for Monitoring Freshwater Fish Health Stone Crab Catch Data Florida's Carpenter Frogs Rediscovered Alligator Snapping Turtle Publications Amphibian and Reptile Publications 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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