Sea to Shore Alliance

Programs: Right whale conservation the north atlantic right whale, eubalaena glacialis, is listed as a federally-protected endangered species under the endangered species act, in addition to being protected by the marine mammal protection act. It is estimated that there are fewer than 400 individuals remaining in the population. Recovery has been slow for multiple reasons, including a slow reproduction rate and threats from human-related activities, including entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with ships. It is essential that mitigation measures be enacted quickly and efficiently to minimize human related mortality, particularly in the calving grounds of the southeast united states. Right whales are slow moving, especially when accompanied by a calf, and due to their broad, flat back and lack of a dorsal fin they are difficult to see, even when at the surface of the water. These factors make them vulnerable to ship strikes, especially in areas of increased vessel traffic and dredging activities. The winter calving grounds off georgia and florida, the area designated as critical habitat for right whales in the southeastern united states, includes four major shipping ports that increase the potential for ship/whale conflicts every day during the calving season from december through march. In an effort to minimize the risk of collision with right whales, the early warning system was created to alert military and commercial vessels in the area of the presence of right whales. As part of a complex network, all right whale sightings are disseminated to partners throughout the region such as military and commercial vessels, harbor pilots, port authorities, and others involved in the maritime industry. Sea to shore alliance is conducting daily aerial surveys to locate north atlantic right whales in the northern portion of their calving ground critical habitat. From november through march annual reports of locations are provided in near real-time via the early warning system sighting network to mariners operating commercial, military, and other vessels in these areas so they may elect to take actions to reduce the likelihood of collisions with right whales. In addition to conducting aerial surveys, sea to shore alliance holds an annual right whale festival in jacksonville beach, florida, each november at the start of right whale calving season.

west african manatee project - african manatee conservationthe african manatee is the most endangered and least understood member of the four living manatee and dugong species. They live in the rivers, estuaries, and lagoons of 21 countries along the atlantic african coast, and as far as 2000 miles inland in rivers in mali and chad. There are no accurate population estimates for the species and the largest threats are hunting and the construction of numerous dams across all major african rivers that now permanently isolate manatee populations. Sea to shore research scientist lucy keith diagne is conducting a multi-year, collaborative project comprising research, training for african manatee biologists and educational outreach components to assess manatee status and distribution throughout the species range. This study is conducting the first range-wide genetics study of the african manatee to determine distinct populations, as well as the first feeding ecology and age determination studies of the species. Lucy conducts field surveys and other life history research at her long-term study sites in gabon and senegal, and she also works with african manatee biologists in many other countries. The resulting data and analyses provide much needed information on status of the species, and provide a basis for further conservation and management actions.

manatee rehabilitation partnership (mrp)each year many manatees are injured or become sick and must be rescued and treated at critical care facilities such as seaworld, tampa's lowry park zoo, or miami seaquarium. Exposure to red tide, cold stress, and disease are all natural problems that can affect manatees. Man-made threats include boat strikes, crushing by flood gates or locks, and entanglement in or ingestion of fishing gear. Sea to shore alliance is a member of the manatee rehabilitation partnership (mrp), a unique group of private, non-governmental and governmental agencies that pool resources to rehabilitate manatees and release them back into the wild. Once a rehabilitated manatee is medically cleared to be released, sea to shore alliance is responsible for tracking and monitoring it in the wild. By doing so, we help to ensure their well-being and the information we collect is used to improve protocols and pre-release training of manatees to improve their chances of survival in the wild.

port everglades the florida power & light company's port everglades plant closed in 2013 for modernization. The new plant (called the port everglades next generation clean energy centerpeec) will soon be fully operational. The old plant provided warm water refuge for manatees during cold winter months; as many as 454 manatees have been documented utilizing the plant's warm water effluent in winter at one time. While the plant is offline, a temporary heating system will provide warm water for manatees. Sea to shore alliance has tagged five manatees in the port everglades area and is using satellite telemetry to track these animals to help assess the potential impact to manatees health resulting from the change in warm-water availability at the port everglades plant during and after the modernization process. Cubasea to shore alliance's project is working with cuban scientists to establish: (1) baseline manatee population numbers in cuba; (2) help cuba strengthen protections for this remarkable and endangered species; and (3) determine the degree of genetic exchange between cuban manatees and those in florida and the wider caribbean. This is the only in-depth and long-term study of manatees ever conducted in cuba nests programour nests project (neighbors ensuring sea turtle survival) is a long-standing, outreach education program. Nests is a free, community-based program that encourages the public to engage in simple activities that benefit nesting sea turtles, their nests, and their hatchlings. Many of florida's sandy beaches and near shore environments provide critical habitat for sea turtles. Unfortunately, rapid coastal development-- combined with a lack of awareness about the fragile nature of these nesting sites-- is currently threatening the future of florida's marine turtles. The nests program promotes the protection of sea turtles and their nesting beaches by teaching and encouraging community stewardship through teaching coastal residents, visitors, businesses, and youth about the importance of protecting the coastal environment and encouraging the completion of simple activities that reduce negative impacts to sea turtles and their nesting beaches. This is mainly done by attending public events like wildlife festivals, and giving private presentations to local businesses and schools. When someone volunteers to join the program, they are given an eight question "list of actions" -such as turning off lights at night during nesting season, or picking up trash at the beach. The more actions completed, the more points earned, and therefore the higher the level of membership achieved. For each of the three membership levels, folks are rewarded with a nests t-shirt, tote bad, or porch flag, and the comfort of knowing that more sea turtles will live thanks to their efforts! These membership rewards have a dual benefit: motivating members to continue in their conservation efforts and generating community awareness. New program members will in turn inspire family, friends, and neighbors to also join nests, and to participate in sea turtle conservation themselves. Beach lighting can cause sea turtle hatchlings to crawl away from, instead of towards, the ocean, leading to death. State and federal regulators, in addition to local stakeholders, need a standardized method for determining beach lighting "hotspots" to help manage and correct problem areas. Sea to shore alliance has created a breakthrough method of measuring, mapping, and recording beach lighting levels. Through a 2009 grant from the seaworld & busch gardens conservation fund, sea to shore developed the unique system that allows light data to be collected through aerial surveys using geo-referenced technology, or "red hen" system, combined with a specialized spot light metering system. A 2011, 2012, and 2013 grants from the seaworld & busch gardens conservation fund allowed us to aerially map coastal lighting from merritt island, fla. , to key largo, fla. , and provide that data to wildlife managers to better protect sea turtle hatchlings. The results of this project will provide an assessment and integrated atlas of sea turtle nesting beach illumination from a seaward perspective. The data will allow managers to quickly and accurately identify illumination "hotspots" and coastal glow problem areas in near real-time- simply by clicking on a map and video of a section of coastline. The data gives a baseline for future broad scale assessments to monitor lighting compliance, effectiveness of new lighting technologies, and voluntary participation in beachside illumination reduction. The results will provide a useful tool for federal, state, and local managers concerned about beach lighting as it may affect sea turtle nesting and emergence. This technology has applications worldwide.