FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute September Research Updates

New Public Reporting Tool to Enhance Turtle Disease Research Have you spotted a sick, abnormal or dead freshwater turtle? We’ve launched a new, easy way to report sightings, which can help biologists and researchers learn more about freshwater turtles affected by a fatal disease caused by a virus called Turtle fraservirus 1 (TFV1). You can find the new online reporting form through our website as well as learn more about TFV1. Species affected include Florida softshells (Apalone ferox), smooth softshells (Apalone mutica), spiny softshells (Apalone spinifera), and yellow-bellied sliders (Trachemys scripta scripta). In addition to softshell turtles, Florida’s cooter species (genus Pseudemys) and snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina), which are already prohibited from being removed from the wild, and red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) have also been affected by TFV1.  Restoring Florida's Shorebird and Seabird Populations Initiated in 2017, this project was created to establish a shorebird program dedicated to the successful restoration of shorebird and seabird populations impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Read the full study on our webpage.  Hogfish Research at Dry Tortugas National Park Our Finfish Research Team in the Florida Keys have partnered with Dry Tortugas National Park to study hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus) in the Parks’ Research Natural Area. This area has been protected since 2007 and is the closest our scientists can get to studying an unfished population in south Florida. Studying this fish in this area will allow our team to establish a baseline for hogfish movement and food web interactions without the effects of fishing pressure, ensuring that we are able to provide the best data for management of the hogfish fishery. Watch the full video on our YouTube channel.  Fawn Survival Study This spring FWC kicked off the first-ever white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawn survival study in Florida! This research is part of the five-year North Florida Deer Study which began in 2020. The project involves capturing adult does in winter and fitting them with GPS collars and devices that alert the researchers when the doe gives birth. As fawns are born in spring, they are fitted with collars that allow researchers to monitor fawn survival. These collars expand as the fawn grows and eventually drop off around 1 year of age. Unlike historical fawn survival studies that required researchers to intensively monitor the deer in field around the clock, this study uses new technology that takes advantage of satellite communication. Mom’s collar communicates directly with both the birth-alert device and the fawn collar, while also communicating with the researchers through satellite! This way events such as birth or fawn mortality are immediately relayed to the researchers, allowing for quick response. Learn more on our website.  New Research Publication on Swallow-Tailed Kite Nest Survival Swallow-tailed Kites (Elanoides forficatus) are rebounding from population declines during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but they are still considered a species of conservation concern in the southeastern US. FWC researchers recently located and monitored 132 Swallow-tailed Kite nests in and around the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed Wildlife and Environmental Area in southwest Florida to determine how nest site characteristics affected nest survival. Overall, 49% of the nests successfully fledged young. Two key characteristics correlated with nest survival: nesting date and tree diameter. Nests initiated early in the nesting season (mid-March) were more than three times as likely to fledge young as nests initiated later in the season (mid-May). Additionally, nests in larger-diameter trees were more likely to be successful than nests in younger, smaller-diameter trees. These findings suggest that large pine and cypress trees - formerly available in old growth bottomland hardwoods and lowland pine forests in the US - may have provided superior nesting opportunities for the kites. Access this peer-reviewed paper here.  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 Sources 2023 Manatee Mortalities Red Tide Manatee Mortalities Annual Rescue Summaries, Manatees Lizard Publications New Publications Dry Tortugas Hogfish Study Fisheries Independent Monitoring Publications Seagrass Protection and Restoration in St. Joseph Bay 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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