SMC Biologists Kelly Novic (below left in white) and Artie Wong (top left) help to assess a manatee captured near Crystal River, FL. (Photo courtesy of Captain Stacy Dunn)

An important part of manatee conservation efforts involves scientific research. With data, scientists can provide the documentation that can lead to their protection. In December, SMC Biologists Kelly Novic and Artie Wong participated in a manatee health assessment in Crystal River, Florida, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, Sirenia Project. These assessments are important to monitor the health of local populations throughout the state as well as track individual manatees. The assessments require a concerted effort by a number of people to safely capture the manatee, complete the research tasks, and release the manatee as quickly as possible so as to inflict the least amount of stress on the animal.



By Kelly Novic, SMC Staff Biologist

“Manatee sighted!” a voice calls out in the December morning.

Staff from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) power up their research boat.

“There!” another voice calls, and fingers point.

FWC staff motor around the sighted manatee while rapidly releasing a large nylon net from the back of the boat. They sweep around the manatee and those attending gather at either end of the net.

(Above) The research boat features a removable stern where a net can be deployed for captures. (Below) The manatee is encircled by a large net and pulled in toward the shore. (Photos courtesy of Captain Stacy Dunn)

“Bring her in,” calls yet another voice, and then the action begins as the assembled staff members and volunteers rapidly pull in the net and catch the large manatee. With combined strength, we are able to lift her onto a stretcher and carefully shuffle her up the shore and onto a padded mat. This one is covered in barnacles, most likely just coming in to Crystal River from the ocean, and so getting her safely on shore without getting hands or legs cut is tricky. Once she is on the mat, the manatee calms down. Handlers stand ready to lie across her should she decide to start moving.

Researchers from the USGS Sirenia Project, FWC, University of Florida, Jacksonville Zoo, and Volusia County Dept. of Environmental Management quickly work to gather health information. The gender of the manatee is determined and urine is passively collected. Temperature is taken orally. A blood sample is taken from the underside of a flipper and an algae sample is taken from her back. The manatee is also measured from snout to flipper and around the trunk. Fat thickness is measured using ultrasound.

The manatee lays calmly for all of this.

Former SMC Biologist Kate Cassim (right in red) assists in measuring the manatee and Kelly Novic (lower right) administers oxygen. (Photo courtesy of Captain Stacy Dunn)

To determine if this manatee has been examined before, it is checked for a PIT tag. PIT stands for Passive Integrated Transponder and is used to identify individual manatees. It is similar to micro-chips used on cats and dogs. If no PIT tag is found after scanning the manatee, two are inserted below the skin, one on either side of the manatee near the shoulder region. During the insertion of the tags, the manatee feels some discomfort, so we place our body weight on the manatee to prevent it from moving and hurting itself.

The manatee’s scars are also photographed to help aid in identification. The Sirenia Project maintains a computerized database of distinctively scarred manatees statewide, and photo-documentation allows researchers to identify individual manatees in the field and record basic behavioral and life history data. A small skin sample will also be taken from the manatee's flipper for genetics studies. By examining genetics, researchers are able to establish family relationships and overall health of the manatee population.

The manatee remains on shore for no more than an hour. While shore-bound, she is monitored for signs of stress. Heart rate is monitored and recorded using a stethoscope. Her breathing rate is monitored by watching and listening to how regularly she exhales. If too much time elapses between breaths, water is gently poured over her head to stimulate breathing. Supplemental oxygen is given with each breath to help the manatee recover from exertion during the capture process.

One previous manatee assessed today had a sore on the underside of its tail that we cleaned and inspected. Another showed minor signs of cold stress. This manatee has a small hole in her tail where stubborn barnacles ate through.

How many biologists does it take to lift a manatee? A lot! The manatee is carried on a stretcher to the research boat and then weighed. (Photos courtesy of Captain Stacy Dunn)

Once all health assessment tasks are completed on shore, the manatee is wrapped back in her stretcher and carried toward the boat. Sensing water, the manatee decides to try and make an escape and thrashes her tail. Those of us carrying the back of the stretcher release our grip to avoid getting injured and then quickly regroup to get her on the boat before she acts up again. Once on the boat, the stretcher is attached to a heavy-duty scale, and she is lifted off the deck. This one weighs just over 1,000 pounds!

After weighing the manatee, staff drives the boat into deeper waters, just offshore from where she was a moment ago. She is so heavy that the boat actually starts to take on water from the rear. Having done this many times before, all remain calm and continue motoring to a safe depth where the manatee is tipped back into the water. Researchers and volunteers look on to be sure she is acting normal and swimming steadily (they also start bailing water out of the boat with buckets).

Manatees that participate in this health assessment are often seen later resting at the bottom of the water. It must be a tiring experience for them, but the information they help us gather enables researchers to monitor not only individual health, but the overall health of the entire local population.

Once all the health assesment tasks are completed, the manatee is taken out to deeper water and released off the back of the boat. (Photos courtesy of Captain Stacy Dunn)

Get More Info!

• Get more information about manatee research at the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and USGS Sirenia Project web sites.
  
  
• Read how biologists at the USGS Sirenia Project are using Genetic Modeling to assess the health and status of the manatee populations.
  
  
• Donate to Save the Manatee Club's Emergency Rescue Fund for manatee rescue, rehabilitation, and release efforts.