FWC Research Bulletin from the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute

First-Ever Urchin Roundup in St. Joe Bay Declared Success Our first-ever Urchin Roundup in St. Joseph Bay was a success! A big thank you to the 41 volunteers who braved the wind this past Saturday. Together they collected 5,731 sea urchins from designated seagrass patches. An overabundance of sea urchins (Lytechinus spp.) in St. Joseph Bay is destroying turtle grass beds by overgrazing. A new seagrass protection and restoration project is underway in the Panhandle to jump start the natural recovery of seagrass. FWC and Florida Department of Environmental Protection held the first ever sea urchin roundup last weekend to remove the sea urchins from active grazing fronts. The animals are released in deeper areas of the bay at a distance from grazed areas. Learn more about seagrass restoration in St. Joe Bay on our webpage. Keeping up with Florida Panther 260 On December 9, 2020, a Florida panther was struck by a vehicle in central Collier County. After a two-week rehabilitation at Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens the panther now identified as FP260, was cleared for release, fitted with a GPS radiocollar and returned to the wild within the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. Since then, FP260’s GPS radiocollar has sent 2,108 locations as he moves, eats, sleeps, and looks for a mate. In a relatively short time, FP260 has demonstrated how successful and important highway underpasses are to wildlife. By using up to 12 different wildlife crossings, FP260 has been able to safely access Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve and Big Cypress National Preserve without ever setting a paw onto a paved road. Florida panthers, especially males, can struggle to maintain their large home ranges due to lack of habitat connectivity. Wildlife crossings serve a dual purpose for all wildlife that utilize them: they assist in preventing wildlife mortality associated with vehicle collisions while helping to mitigate the impact of habitat fragmentation caused by roads. Help support panther conservation in Florida by purchasing a Protect the Panther license plate.  Rescue and Release of Manatee Known as "Chessie" Named in honor of the friendly sea monster of the Chesapeake Bay, the manatee "Chessie" was recently rescued from a Lake Worth Lagoon. "Chessie" was first rescued in 1994 in the Chesapeake Bay and returned to Florida for release. He returned to the Chesapeake Bay area in 1995 where our current Southwest marine mammal stranding lead, Denise Boyd, was a volunteer with the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Program. Her first ever manatee response, Denise was tasked to assist with locating, verifying, and photographing "Chessie". Fast forward 26 years to February 2021 where Denise and team were out to rescue a manatee experiencing buoyancy issues from Lake Worth Lagoon and that manatee turned out to be "Chessie"! FWC researchers identified "Chessie" from data collected in 1994 by the manatee photo-identification partnership.  Elkhorn Coral Restoration Did you snorkel or dive the Florida Keys in the 1970’s or ‘80’s? Then you might remember seeing huge thickets of impressive elkhorn corals. These corals were historically abundant on shallow areas of Florida’s Coral Reef until disease and bleaching events nearly wiped out the population -- our reefs haven’t looked the same since. Efforts are underway to restore these corals to their former glory and we are excited to share that the FWC Coral Research Program is joining the restoration party! With partners Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, scientists collect eggs and sperm from adult corals during coral spawning events and fertilize them in the lab. These corals are raised in “nurseries” until large enough to be outplanted back onto a reef. The Coral Team recently outplanted the first of these corals on Looe Key Reef. To determine best restoration practices, scientists are researching the success rate of corals when transplanted near existing adult colonies versus corals that are outplanted away from adults. New on MyFWC.com/Research We hope you enjoy these articles that have been recently added/updated on our website: Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch Annual Rescue Summaries (Manatees)  2021 Manatee Mortalities Red Tide Manatee Mortalities Florida Fishing Pier Finder Southern Hog-Nosed Snake Publications Southern Hog-Nosed Snake Amphibian and Reptiles Publications New Publications Finfish Stock Assessment HAB Monitoring Database 2021 Scallop Rodeo Stone Crab Catch Data 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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