At the end of each winter season an increasing number of florida manatees migrate north out of state into georgia seeking alternate foraging sites

This Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program (CFDA 15.683) will provide $205,487.34 to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Inc. to collect health and habitat data on Florida manatees that have migrated to Georgia. The funding supports the assessment of 10-15 manatees in two critical habitats in Georgia, including the collection of biological samples for analysis and the deployment of satellite tags on up to 10 manatees to track their movements and habitat usage. This data will help researchers understand the long-term health impacts and habitat shifts of manatees during the recent unusual mortality event, which has affected the species. The award period runs from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.

Since 2015 researchers from clearwater marine aquarium research institute have been collecting health and habitat data on these migrant manatees which has become an invaluable dataset since the unusual mortality event has impacted the species. Clearwater marine aquarium research institute has information on the health and habitat use of manatees prior to the start of and during the unusual mortality event and now seeks funds to continue data collection as the catastrophe slows to determine if any long term health impacts can be determined to linger and whether habitat shifts are continuing to occur or if they are returning to historic usages.data collection will include the health assessment of between ten to fifteen manatees within two critical habitats in georgia. Biological samples will be collected for routine analysis and samples will also be submitted to the state and federal authorities working to investigate the impacts of the unusual mortality event. Up to ten manatees will be equipped with satellite tags and tracked to better understand their habitat use within georgia and throughout the atlantic coast. Such data will also help further identify manatee use of industrial discharge sites in habitats outside of florida to assist federal and state agency management of these site to reduce their attraction effects on manatee migration. With the increased number of manatees utilizing habitats north of florida IT is imperative that data continues to be collected to enhance our knowledge of the species use of areas during periods of habitat loss. A more robust understanding of long term survival strategies as they relate to manatee thermoregulation and nourishment during starvation events can provide managers with the tools they need to help reduce unusual mortality event mortality numbers in the future. Such knowledge gaps will be filled through the current health comparison of wild manatees and the satellite telemetry of individual manatee migration patterns.