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The Florida Manatee in the Suwannee River and Estuary: Past, Present, and Future

Explore the history, current status, and future prospects of Florida manatees in the Suwannee River and Estuary. Learn about research methods, population monitoring, habitat challenges, and the critical role of manatees as ecosystem indicators.

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The Florida Manatee in the Suwannee River and Estuary: Past, Present, and Future

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  1. The Florida Manatee in the Suwannee River and Estuary: Past, Present, and Future Catherine A. Langtimm, Cathy A. Beck, Robert K. Bonde, James P. Reid Sirenia Project, Florida Integrated Science Center U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey

  2. Florida manatee: Federal and State listed endangered marine mammal Manatees require seagrass and freshwater vegetation for forage, freshwater for drinking, and warm water refugia to survive cold winters.

  3. USGS ResearchAerial Surveys: 1978 – present (USGS and CRNWR)

  4. USGS ResearchAquatic Vegetation Surveys: 1974 – present (USGS and CRNWR)

  5. USGS ResearchCarcass Salvage: 1974-1985 (USGS) 1985-present (FWC) Total of 250 carcasses collected in NW region (12/1974 – 6/2004)

  6. USGS ResearchRadio Telemetry: 36 radio-tagged in NW region 1978-1985 (USGS) (N = 30) 1998-present (USGS, FWC, UF) (N = 6)

  7. USGS ResearchManateePhoto-identification: 1967 – present 419 manatees photographically documented in NW region to date; 21 of these manatees have been documented at Manatee Springs

  8. Current USGS Research • Monitor and estimate population parameters and status for the Northwest subpopulation • Primary focus on photo-identification at the headwaters of the Crystal and Homosassa rivers, additional emphasis at Manatee Springs • Supplement population research utilizing genetic analyses

  9. Manatees as Indicators of Ecosystem Change & USGS Capabilities The winter warm-water refuges and summer foraging areas used by manatees are dependent on important ecosystem processes in the Suwannee. Long-term monitoring of manatees in the region will facilitate identifying and quantifying the effects of perturbations on manatee survival and reproduction. We now can utilize population models to combine population and habitat data.

  10. The Hurricane Example: • Retrospective analysis of photo-identification data with capture-recapture statistical models. • Identified an effect of extreme storms on adult survival rates. • Natural experiment now in progress with the 2004 storms.

  11. Year Storm Survival 95% CI 1985 Elena (3) 0.936 (0.864-0.971) • Storm of the 0.909 (0.837-0.951) Century (3) 1995 Opal (4) 0.817 (0.735-0.878) No storm years 0.972 (0.961-0.980)

  12. Future Research Need for Federal and State Resource Managers to assess the status of manatees under growing habitat concerns: • loss of winter warm-water refuges and • loss of foraging habitat Solutions will require an ecosystem level approach that will necessitate the protection and enhancement of current habitats, identification of additional sites that might be developed for manatee use, and incorporate integrated research of biotic and abiotic processes.

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