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Florida promotes itself as the fishing capital of the world, and fishing is one of the state's most popular recreational activities. As the state faces increasing anthropogenic and natural environmental stressors, effective resource management is of paramount importance in sustaining healthy fisheries. The Fisheries Independent Monitoring (FIM) program of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute regularly monitors relative abundance of various size and age classes of multiple sport fish species (e.g., Centropomus undecimalis common snook, Sciaenops ocellatus red drum, Cynoscion nebulosus spotted seatrout) to provide timely data to fisheries managers. The FIM program samples seven major Florida estuaries, including four that the National Estuary Program has designated as estuaries of national significance (Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Coastal and Heartland, and Indian River Lagoon). Although the FIM program sampling design is consistent and results are comparable among estuaries, the environmental perturbations, available habitats, habitat use by resource species, and recruitment dynamics vary, which can result in different abundance trends among estuaries. The goal of this study was to assess the role of early life stages as refuges for adult populations for two inshore sport fish species and examine their potential in forecasting relative abundance of fishery stocks. We present long-term abundance trends and assess lagged regressions among size or age classes to reveal the importance of size class refuges and identify preferred habitats that are estuary- and age class-specific, providing tools for better managing fishery stocks and habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Great Goliath Grouper Count (GGGC), a program initiated in 2010 by Florida Sea Grant and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to collect data on the Atlantic goliath grouper. The goliath grouper is a large reef species that was overfished and experienced population declines in the past. The GGGC utilizes trained divers who follow standardized protocols to report data on the number, size, and location of goliath groupers observed during underwater surveys. The program has expanded to include the entire state of Florida and has provided valuable data for stock assessments and fisheries management. [Extracted from the article]

'Coexisting with wildlife' and 'living with wildlife' are commonly used in communication efforts designed to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts. However, there is little information on how the public understands these terms and how their understanding compares to wildlife managers' intended message. In 2019 we surveyed 1,045 Florida residents and 140 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials to examine their understanding of, and preferences for, the terms 'coexisting with wildlife' and 'living with wildlife.' We analyzed data using qualitative and quantitative methods. FWC officials were more likely to interpret both terms as people changing their behavior to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts or tolerating conflicts with wildlife, whereas the public tended to focus on reduced nuisance behavior by wildlife. Wildlife managers should clearly define terms to avoid confusion or miscommunication, which may result in the public not altering their behavior or mistakenly taking actions that exacerbate human-wildlife conflicts such as domesticating wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A retrospective study of admission data of 401 West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) presented to the David A. Straz Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center at ZooTampa at Lowry Park (ZooTampa) for rehabilitation from August 1991 through October 2017. Causes of admittance, location of rescue, gender, and age class were all recorded for each manatee admitted. Admittance categories as defined by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) included watercraft collisions, natural causes, entanglement, entrapment, orphaned calves, captive born, mothers of rescued calves, calves of rescued mothers, human, and other. The admitted population was primarily from the southwest and northwest coasts and related waterways of Florida. The gender difference was relatively equivocal (54% female) while the adults comprised 79% of the admissions. The overall total admissions increased steadily over the study period as did the admissions for each individual categories of admission. Watercraft collisions and natural causes combined were 71% of all admissions for the entire study period and are the dominant causes of admission. Watercraft collisions are more likely to occur during May through October, whereas natural causes of admittance are more likely to occur between December and March. Rehabilitated manatees may reduce overall manatee mortality and can provide insight into population-based health concerns if evaluated appropriately. Future efforts can incorporate physical examination findings, hematology, biochemistry profiles, and ancillary diagnostic testing to continue to improve the individual welfare of this marine mammal in its natural range. Admissions data could also potentially serve the wider conservation and recovery efforts if it is proven that the data obtained is at least as informative as that obtained by the carcass salvage program. Limited conservation resources could then be re-directed as new challenges arise with the expanding population and potentially expanding range of this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nile Monitors (Varanus niloticus) are large (up to 2.4 m in length), semiaquatic, carnivorous lizards native to Sub-Saharan Africa. Nile Monitors are reported from southeastern Florida near the Homestead Air Reserve Base in Miami-Dade County, around Southwest Ranches in Broward County, and from a reproducing population along the C-51 canal in Palm Beach County. This study characterizes the diet of Nile Monitors removed from Palm Beach and Broward counties. In 2012, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission staff and University of Florida researchers began conducting monthly boat surveys along the C-51 canal and driving and walking surveys in Southwest Ranches. We used Nile Monitors removed with firearms or live traps from southeastern Florida from 2012 to 2016. We extracted gastrointestinal (GI) tracts and collected gut contents when present. We rinsed, sorted, dried, examined, and identified gut contents to the lowest taxonomic level possible. We examined 68 GI tracts (30 males, 37 females, 1 of undetermined sex) and identified 1,484 prey items from 65 individuals. We categorized prey items as gastropod, diplopod, malacostracan, arachnid, insect, fish, amphibian, reptile, reptile egg, bird, and mammal. Adult Nile Monitors exhibited the highest dietary diversity and evenness among size classes, and there was no observable difference in diet between males and females. Our observations confirm Nile Monitors are active foragers, and the combination of broad diet and active foraging makes it unlikely that food availability will limit distribution of these invasive lizards in Florida. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incidental take permits by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are required when a Burrowing Owl burrow will be impacted by clearing or construction. These permits are issued only for burrows that are inactive. The typical breeding season for Burrowing Owls is 15 February-10 July. This project had 4 chronology-related objectives: 1) estimate the percentage of burrows in south Florida that became active prior to 15 February, 2) identify the range of dates when nesting was initiated, 3) estimate the percentage of burrows occupied by adult owls prior to 15 February, and 4) estimate the percentage of decorated burrows that were active. A fifth objective was to determine if the burrow lengths of Burrowing Owls in south Florida are comparable to those in the published literature. We scoped 89 burrows at four sites from 30 November 2007 to 14 February 2008. Only 4.4% (n = 4) of the burrows were active (contained eggs or flightless chicks). Burrow lengths ranged from 0.3 m to 3.2 m with a mean length of 2.05 m. This study found less than a 5% probability of a burrow being active between the 30 November and 14 February so the risk of encountering an active burrow while executing an FWC incidental take permit during this period is low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ages of Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) can be estimated by counting annual growth layer groups (GLGs) in the periotic dome portion of the tympanoperiotic complex of their earbones. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission manages an archive of more than 8,700 Florida manatee earbones collected from salvaged carcasses from 1989 to 2017. Our goal was to comprehensively evaluate techniques used to estimate age, given this large sample size and changes to processing protocols and earbone readers over time. We developed new standards for estimating ages from earbones, involving two independent readers to obtain measurements of within- and between-reader precision. To quantify accuracy, precision, and error, 111 earbones from manatees with approximately known ages (first known as calves: "KAC") and 69 earbones from manatees with minimum known ages ("MKA," based on photo-identification sighting histories) were processed, and their ages were estimated. There was greater precision within readers (coefficient of variation, CV : 2.4–8.5%) than between readers (CV : 13.1–13.3%). The median of age estimates fell within the true age range for 63.1% of KAC cases and was at least the sighting duration for 75.0% of MKA cases. Age estimates were generally unbiased, as indicated by an average raw error ± SD of −0.05 ± 3.05 years for the KAC group. The absolute error (i.e. absolute value of raw error) of the KAC data set averaged 1.75 ± 2.50 years. Accuracy decreased and error increased with increasing known age, especially for animals over 15 years old, whose ages were mostly underestimated due to increasing levels of resorption (the process of bone turnover that obscures GLGs). Understanding the degree of uncertainty in age estimates will help us assess the utility of age data in manatee population models. We emphasize the importance of standardizing and routinely reviewing age estimation and processing protocols to ensure that age data remain consistent and reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article announces that Florida Chapter of The Wildlife Society announced two awards for 2021, and the Influential Woman in Wildlife Award acknowledges a woman who has made outstanding contributions in field of wildlife management or conservation, and recognizes the leadership and inspiration.