Project abstract summary-the objective in receiving this grant would be to enhance the stranding response capabilities of the FWC southwest field laboratory (swfl) in port charlotte, FL for rescue and…

The U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded a $201,121 Project Grant through the Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Program (CFDA 15.683) to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI). The grant funding will be used to purchase a custom-built 16-foot manatee transport truck with climate control, a lighting system, and a high-capacity lift gate. This new transport truck will enhance the stranding response capabilities of FWC's Southwest Field Laboratory in Port Charlotte, Florida for rescuing and transporting live manatees along the Gulf Coast. The transport truck will allow for the safe and reliable transfer of larger manatees and the ability to transport multiple manatees at once during rescues and releases. This project aims to improve FWC's timely response to live manatee strandings and support the agency's federally authorized partners in manatee conservation efforts. The grant period of performance is from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026.

Project abstract summary-the objective in receiving this grant would be to enhance the stranding response capabilities of the FWC southwest field laboratory (swfl) in port charlotte, FL for rescue and transport of live manatees by providing a customized manatee transport truck. This will specifically support manatee rescues and releases along the gulf coast of florida in conjunction with other federally authorized partners.large climate-controlled box trucks are used by the stranding network to transport live manatees from rescue locations to critical care holding facilities like seaworld and zootampa. In addition, these trucks are used to transport manatees, in stable condition, from critical facilities to authorized secondary holding facilities, where the manatees can continue their recovery. Once a manatee has been medically cleared for release, these specialized trucks are used to transport the manatee to a designated release location. These trucks consist of a heavy-duty truck chassis and custom-built box outfitted with climate control, a lighting system, and a high-capacity lift gate.FWC desires to purchase a new heavy duty truck chassis with custom 16-foot-long transport box with liftgate and climate control system to serve as a new transport truck. Once completed, the truck will provide a safe, reliable option for transporting live rescued manatees to critical care facilities, transferring stable manatees from critical care facilities to secondary holding facilities, and transporting recovered manatees to release locations. The FWC is the primary organization responsible for responding to public reports of live and dead stranded manatees in florida and the average annual number of statewide manatee strandings has been increasing each year. FWC has responded to numerous manatee unusual mortality events (umes) and repeat mortality events (rmes) over the past 15 years (2010 cold event, 2012 indian river lagoon, and numerous events associated with a harmful algal bloom of karenia brevis or red tide). The fwcs swfl is responsible for a multicounty manatee stranding response area that includes ten counties along the gulf coast and throughout southwest florida. A significant challenge for swfl rescue operations is the distance to a critical care facility from their rescues. The swfl coverage area extends into everglades national park, and many of their warm water aggregation sites are in the southernmost regions of their coverage area. This leads to significant transport distances, at times upwards of 350 miles each way, requiring access to a highly reliable transport truck. The swfl staff also often assist with atlantic coast rescues and would utilize a new transport truck to respond to rescues in their coverage area and assist on the atlantic coast when necessary. The overarching outcome of this project will be to enhance live marine mammal stranding response capabilities of the swfl. The new transport truck box will allow for safe and reliable transport of larger manatees, as well as multiple manatees at once during rescues and releases. The transport truck will increase the ability of the swfl to support timely live manatee stranding response along the gulf coast and will allow them to support federally authorized partners with stranding response.rescue reports will be written, reviewed, and finalized for all manatee stranding responses that warrant such a report. These reports will be provided to state and federal managers. Rescue and mortality data will also be provided to public stakeholders through weekly summaries posted on the FWC website and or upon request.