Florida Wildlife Research Institute January Research Updates

Join Us Next Weekend for MarineQuest! Dive into a world of discovery! Manatees, panthers, sea turtles and more! Join us for an unforgettable day of discovery at our 29th annual FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute open house: MarineQuest 2024! Join us for our FREE public event: Saturday, February 10, 2024 10am - 4pm FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in Saint Petersburg, FL Come face to face with live critters, participate in activities, and learn about Florida’s iconic fish and wildlife directly from our state’s top researchers! There’s something for everyone. Mark your calendars, we hope to see you there! This event is held in conjunction with the St. Petersburg Science Festival that takes place right next door! The two events happen side-by-side and attendees are able to walk from one to the other. You can learn more about the event on our website and RSVP on Facebook. Cold-Stunned Sea Turtle Rescues During winter cold spells, our staff and FWC-authorized conservation partners are on high alert to assist sea turtles affected by low water temperatures that lead to cold-stunning conditions. The team works together to search areas where water temperatures have dropped below the threshold of concern for sea turtles - 50 degrees. In Florida, cold-stunning primarily occurs in St. Joseph Bay in Gulf County and in Mosquito Lagoon in Brevard County where the shallow water of the bay and coastal lagoon cools quicker than the open ocean. Due the recent cold snap, St. Joseph Bay’s water temperatures fell below the concern threshold, and our team mobilized to recover a total of 66 cold-stunned green turtles. Cold-stunning largely immobilizes turtles, but they are typically found alive and respond well once removed from the unusually cold water. The affected turtles were taken to Gulf World and those without chronic health issues will be released soon. Learn more about how cold-stunning affects turtles here. Cold weather events have the potential to impact sea turtles throughout the winter. See a turtle in need of assistance? Call our 24/7 Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404- 3922.  Steidinger Scholar Applications are Open! Apply to join the Steidinger Scholars Summer Cohort! If you are a recent high school graduate or college newbie ready to dive into the world of fish and wildlife research, this is for you! This program was developed in honor of Dr. Karen Steidinger and helps inspire students to pursue careers in fish and wildlife research through experiential learning. Applications to join our freshwater fisheries and wildlife research groups are now open! As a Scholar, you will take part in a 3-month part-time to full-time paid internship from mid-May through August, gain hands-on experience working in fisheries and wildlife research, and will receive mentorship from our expert scientists. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to get your foot in the door and explore the career of a lifetime! Applications close on March 6, 2024. For more details on this program and how to apply visit our webpage. You can explore other opportunities here. Manatee Rescue in Bayboro Harbor We teamed up with ZooTampa to respond to a small, lone manatee in the Bayboro Harbor, adjacent to the Research Institute Headquarters and the USF-St. Pete Campus. When temperatures dip below 68 degrees, manatees must seek warm water refuge at natural springs or from artificial sources like power plant outflows to avoid cold stress. During hard freezes and cold snaps, the low water temperatures can be fatal for manatees if they do not reach refuge in time. A cold-stressed manatee typically has white lesions or sores and is in a slow or lethargic state. Our biologists estimate that this manatee is around 2-3 years in age, which may mean that it is the young manatee’s first winter without the guidance of its mother and had difficulty finding a suitable warm water refuge. To ensure that this juvenile has the best shot at survival, the manatee was rescued and taken to Zoo Tampa for care before ultimately being released back into a warm water habitat. Coincidentally, on the same date last year – January 19th – we received a similar report from another USF student about a small, lone calf that had begun exhibiting signs of cold stress in the same harbor. Thanks to the careful eye of some informed students, both manatees were successfully rescued! Learn more about manatee habitats and the importance of warm water refuge online. Please report sightings of sick, injured, orphaned or dead manatees to our Wildlife Alert Hotline: 888-404-FWCC (3922). Coral Research: Disturbance Response Monitoring FWRI’s Coral Research Program is home to the Disturbance Response Monitoring (DRM) program. The DRM program is the largest, collaborative volunteer-based coral monitoring effort in the world and brings together partners across the jurisdictions of Florida’s Coral Reef. The data generated by the DRM program provides reef managers with an annual assessment of the extent of coral bleaching and disease and its potential impacts on Florida’s coral reefs. During the summer of 2023, record breaking water temperatures exposed coral reefs in the Florida Keys to heat stress for more than double the amount of time than previous records. The DRM program surveys were vital to capturing the severity of this bleaching event and they will monitor again in the winter of 2024 to better understand what happened to our reefs. Find more about Florida’s coral reefs and the Disturbance Response Monitoring program on our webpage. 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 2024 Manatee Mortalities 2023 Manatee Mortality Data Annual Rescue Summaries (Manatee) Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force Meeting Information American Crocodile Steidinger Scholars HAB Monitoring Database Terrestrial Habitat Research Fisheries-Independent Monitoring 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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