Manatee Carcass Salvage Program
The FWC is responsible for necropsying and documenting all recovered manatee carcasses.
Beginning in 1974, various groups that have included both state and federal agencies have recovered manatee carcasses. The purpose of the manatee carcass retrieval program has been to determine the cause of death in order to develop possible corrective actions and to obtain information on manatee morphology and physiology to better understand the biological limitations of the species. The existing state program began in July 1986 with very few staff and has now grown to a total of 16 permanent and part-time personnel. In 1992, a laboratory and necropsy facility was constructed to perform post-mortem examinations. Staff from four field stations collect carcasses from the southeastern United States and transport them to the Marine Mammal Pathobiology Laboratory (MMPL) in St. Petersburg, Florida.
During manatee necropsies, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) staff grossly examines manatee organ systems to assist in the determination of a probable cause of death. Additional anatomical, physiological, and life history information is collected from each carcass. Staff generate a necropsy report that documents the findings from each animal. The MMPL produces monthly and annual report summaries as well as a synopsis of rescue activity.
Through ongoing research at the MMPL and collaborative projects with academic institutions, information on manatee pathology, anatomy, physiology, perinatal mortality, aging, life history, and the effects of biotoxins will be obtained and disseminated. New technology acquired by the MMPL will allow enhanced imaging techniques to better document scar patterns and the appearance of normal tissues at the macroscopic level. The FWC is developing databases that will improve information access to researchers for retrospective studies. MMPL staff are improving methods of determining stillborn versus live-born calves and quantifying perinatal mortality.
