FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute November Research Updates

North Atlantic Right Whale Calving Season Begins Each year, pregnant females make their way south along the Atlantic coast to Florida-Georgia to give birth and nurse their young during the winter months (Nov 15-Apr 15). Sadly, right whales are at risk. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the number of right whales slowly increased, reaching a high near 500 individuals in 2010 but the population has been in a steep decline in recent years, dropping to less than 350 individuals. These critically endangered whales are a long-lived species and have shown that they can rebound if given the opportunity. Vessel strikes and entanglement in commercial fishing gear, like lobster and crab pots, are major threats to right whales. Three calves were killed by vessel strike between 2020-2021 and over 85% of the North Atlantic right whale population has been entangled at least once. Calving season is a vulnerable time for right whales. Adult females face extremely high energetic demands associated with pregnancy and nursing and have a lower survival rate than males. Currently, there are about 70 breeding females in the population. Learn more from NOAA.  How to help: • Please report right whale sightings to 877-WHALE-HELP (877-942-5343) or to the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF Ch. 16. • Boaters are urged to post a look-out, slow down, and give whales plenty of space. Manatee Tracking Have you seen a manatee with gear that looks like this? Don’t worry! This is simply a tracking device used by researchers to help learn about manatee movement, diving behavior, and more. The tracking device is composed of a floating Global Positioning System (GPS) tag tethered to a cushioned belt around the manatee’s tail that records GPS location, temperature, activity levels, and diving behavior. The gear has a safety feature built in to break free if the tag becomes caught on something. Due to the tag’s superficial resemblance to fishing or crabbing buoys, manatee tags are sometimes mistaken for an entanglement. Unlike entanglements, however, these tags pose no harm to the manatee and should not be removed. Public reports of both tagged and entangled manatees help make a difference. We ask that you please report tagged manatees, entangled manatees, or any other injured manatees to FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline (1-888-404-3922). This page shows how you can tell the difference between a GPS tag and a fishing buoy entanglement. To learn more about manatee radiotelemetry research, visit our website.  Grass Carp on the Move Grass carp can be used as a tool to help manage nonnative vegetation in lakes, but to be effective, scientists must study their survival and how they move through a lake once stocked. As part of a research study, our Freshwater Fisheries team tagged a limited number of sterile grass carp before releasing them into Lake Apopka and Lake Yale. The radio tags allow researchers to track the movement of the carp, which was plotted in the animation above. Preliminary results from the first year of tracking showed grass carp dispersed quickly throughout each lake and have remained in areas of dense hydrilla. This is a multi-year study, and more carp will be tagged and released this winter. To watch a video about this study, visit our Facebook page.  Robinson Preserve Sportfish Tagging Project Scientists with the Fisheries-Independent Monitoring (FIM) program have been working on a grant-funded research project to track the movement of juvenile sport fish within and around Robinson Preserve, a fish-focused habitat restoration site located on the south shore of Tampa Bay in Manatee County, Florida Government. The goal of the study is to investigate how juvenile sport fish navigate through the protected waters of the fish nursery habitats created within the restoration site and estimate how many move out into sub-adult and adult habitats of Tampa Bay and surrounding waters, thereby potentially contributing to the fisheries. To do this, scientists are using acoustic telemetry to monitor fish movements. Staff have placed acoustic listening devices (receivers) in and around the Preserve, which are listening for up to 80 tagged juvenile sport fish. These tags emit a sound that is picked up when the fish pass by the receivers, allowing scientists to track individual fish for 2-3 years. Data from this study can be used to inform future restoration habitat design features. “Track” this research at the project website. New on MyFWC.com/Research We hope you enjoy these articles that have been recently added/updated on our website: Red Tide Current Status Red Tide Related Hotlines and Information 2022 Manatee Mortalities Red Tide Manatee Mortalities Manatee Mortality Event Along the East Coast: 2020-2022 Manatee Mortality Event Along the East Coast: FAQs Annual Rescue Summaries, Manatees Update on Carcass Examinations from Unusual Mortality Event Avian Influenza GIS and Mapping GIS Reports and Publications New Publications Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force Meeting Information Stone Crab Catch Data HAB Publications HAB Monitoring Database Internship Opportunities 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.

http://live.oysterradio.com/