• developing restoration techniques for habitat and enhancement of plant and animal populations;
• identifying and monitoring harmful algal blooms, including red tides, evaluating their impacts, and providing technical support concerning state and local public health concerns;
• monitoring the status and health of marine life, freshwater aquatic life, and wild animal life species and their habitat;
• providing science-based assessments of fish and wildlife resources to the commission and others that regulate and manage the state's natural resources; and
• responding to and providing critical technical support for catastrophes including oil spills, major species die-offs, and natural disasters.

In Florida, red tide is caused by a higher-than-normal concentration of a microscopic alga (plant-like organisms) known as Karenia brevis. This organism produces toxins that are capable of killing fish, birds, and other marine animals. This organism is found mostly in the Gulf of Mexico, but also has been found off the east coast of Florida. Commission staff monitors coastal waters for red tide and other harmful algae and conducts research on harmful algae including developing and testing new detection technologies and assessing red tide's effects on fisheries. In Fiscal Year 2021-22, commission staff examined approximately 14,000 water samples for the presence of harmful algae and reported completing 2.8 million red tide and aquatic health assessments and communications to stakeholders.

Sea Turtle Nest Monitoring. The 2022 Statewide Nesting Beach Survey documented 116,765 loggerhead nests, 37,028 green turtle nests, 1,848 leatherback nests, and 7 confirmed Kemp’s Ridley nests through its network of nearly 2,900 volunteers and partners. Loggerhead nest numbers have fluctuated greatly in the last 34 years, while green turtle and leatherback nest numbers have increased exponentially. Last year, the commission coordinated the collection of sea turtle nesting data on 840 miles of beach.

Manatee Mortality. The commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service continue to respond to and investigate the Atlantic Coast Unusual Manatee Mortality Event (UME) that started in December 2020. A joint Unified Command System was initiated in a coordinated effort to reduce the magnitude of various immediate impacts to manatees. The UME is due to lack of forage in the Indian River Lagoon, which provides important habitat for manatees in all seasons and is central in manatee migration on Florida's east coast.

Effects of malnutrition have been documented in manatees all along the Atlantic coast. Mortality was high during winter 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 (total Atlantic carcass were 582 and 457, respectively, for December 1 through March 31), because colder temperatures add extra health stressors to manatees that are already compromised by chronic malnutrition. The number of reported deaths was substantially lower during winter 2022-2023 (total Atlantic carcass were 51 for December 1 through March 31), which is likely due to improvement in overall body condition since summer of 2022 with manatees finding more forage options compared to the two previous years. The commission's website provides more information and updates: Manatee Mortality Event Along The East Coast 2020-ongoing. On the Gulf coast, a red tide bloom has contributed to causes of manatee mortality in southwest Florida since November 2022 with total mortality numbers in this region peaking (86 carcasses) during March 2023.

Websites of Interest
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Inspector General
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Research Publications
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Strategic Plan
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Performance Information

Gil McRae, Director, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, 727-896-8627, email: gil.mcrae@myfwc.com
Website