WEBVTT 00:01.468 --> 00:17.650 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Back it up. Back it up. Florida s Crystal River is a hot spot for 00:17.751 --> 00:24.090 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% manatees and for researchers trying to capture a better understanding of these massive marine 00:24.190 --> 00:27.761 align:left position:40%,start line:83% size:50% mammals. Drop that net. Drop that net. So if you re 00:27.861 --> 00:35.468 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% on the left side of that manatee you ve gotta get on the other side of the stretcher 00:35.568 --> 00:39.372 align:left position:42.5%,start line:83% size:47.5% here. Manatees are vulnerable to environmental changes, 00:39.472 --> 00:48.615 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% human behavior, and low reproductive rates. Since their listing as an endangered species 00:48.715 --> 00:56.856 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% in 1967, federal laws have helped the population rebound from a few hundred in the 1960s to 00:56.956 --> 01:03.329 align:left position:17.5%,start line:83% size:72.5% an estimated 6,000 today. That comeback spawned proposals to cut the 01:03.430 --> 01:08.802 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% manatee s status from endangered species to threatened. But with this apparent 01:08.902 --> 01:15.442 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% success come questions. What biological criteria define a healthy 01:15.542 --> 01:23.683 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% manatee population today? And will Florida s habitats and food sources be enough to sustain 01:23.783 --> 01:31.024 align:left position:82.5%,start line:83% size:7.5% the growing population in the future? In steady pursuit of the answers, researchers 01:31.124 --> 01:36.629 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% are using everything they ve learned up to today to predict what manatees will do 01:36.729 --> 02:04.357 align:left position:37.5%,start line:83% size:52.5% tomorrow. Major funding for this program was provided 02:04.457 --> 02:10.463 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% by the Batchelor Foundation, encouraging people to preserve and protect America s underwater 02:10.563 --> 02:19.405 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% resources. And by Divers Direct/Emocean Sports inspiring the pursuit of adventure and water 02:19.506 --> 02:29.015 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% sports. And by the following In Memory of Harriet Fagan, the Do Unto Others Trust, and 02:29.115 --> 02:42.128 align:left position:12.5%,start line:83% size:77.5% the Friends of Changing Seas. Sailors of olden days thought they were the 02:42.228 --> 02:49.369 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% mythical sirens of the sea while others dubbed them sea-cows because of their gentle, 02:49.469 --> 02:56.910 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% slow-moving nature, manatees and their cousins, the dugongs, live in shallow tropical and 02:57.010 --> 03:05.485 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% subtropical waterways from North and South America to West Africa and the Indo-Pacific 03:05.585 --> 03:10.890 align:left position:40%,start line:83% size:50% region. Paleontologists tell us that sixty million 03:10.990 --> 03:18.231 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% years ago, the ancestors of manatees were part of a super-order of mammals called Afrotheria, 03:18.331 --> 03:24.671 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% which later became today s manatees, elephants and aardvarks. 03:24.771 --> 03:30.143 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% Manatees and their closer relatives make up the order Sirenia. Nearly fifty million 03:30.243 --> 03:37.350 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% years ago, a sirenian called Pezosiren portelli evolved, the animal scientists believe to 03:37.450 --> 03:45.758 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% be an evolutionary link between land-based creatures and ocean-going sea cows. 03:45.858 --> 03:51.431 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% Ten million years later, the family tree branched into the predecessors of today s sirenians 03:51.531 --> 03:59.105 align:left position:65%,start line:83% size:25% the Trichechidae, the manatees, and the Dugongidae, the dugongs and the Steller s sea cow, 03:59.205 --> 04:07.680 align:left position:72.5%,start line:89% size:17.5% a species hunted to extinction in the 1700s. 04:07.780 --> 04:12.318 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Evidence of ancient manatees and dugongs is preserved at the Florida Museum of Natural 04:12.418 --> 04:22.762 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% History. Paleontologist Richard Hulbert catalogs the fossil record 04:22.862 --> 04:28.868 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The skull and jaws of Metaxytherium, one of the most common dugongs found in Florida. 04:28.968 --> 04:35.441 align:left position:82.5%,start line:83% size:7.5% It s from a skeleton that s about nine million years old found here in Gainesville. 04:35.541 --> 04:42.548 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% These bones and teeth are about a million and a half years old. They come from just 04:42.649 --> 04:48.488 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% a short distance south of Tampa on Florida s Gulf coast, some of the oldest manatee bones 04:48.588 --> 04:54.360 align:left position:25%,start line:83% size:65% from North America. Here is a skeleton of a modern individual 04:54.460 --> 05:07.173 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% found dead in Florida about twenty years ago. Modern-day manatees are branched into three 05:07.273 --> 05:14.747 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% groups: the West African Manatee, the Amazonian Manatee, and the West Indian Manatee, a group 05:14.847 --> 05:20.987 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% that includes the Antillean Manatee, ranging from the Caribbean to Brazil, and the Florida 05:21.087 --> 05:30.029 align:left position:40%,start line:83% size:50% Manatee. During cool winter months, a group of Florida 05:30.129 --> 05:36.102 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% manatees return to a favorite gathering place warmed by the natural springs of Crystal River 05:36.202 --> 05:45.645 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% National Wildlife Refuge on the state s west coast. Crystal River is a resting 05:45.745 --> 05:52.185 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% zone for manatees, and a place with fond memories for biologist Dr. James Buddy 05:52.285 --> 05:58.624 align:left position:40%,start line:83% size:50% Powell. I grew up in Crystal River. And I spent as 05:58.725 --> 06:05.865 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% much time underwater as I did over the water So I ve always been intrigued by marine 06:05.965 --> 06:12.638 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% biology, and so forth. The water was gin clear through the entire bay and it was a magical 06:12.739 --> 06:19.812 align:left position:12.5%,start line:83% size:77.5% place to grow up in as a kid. Powell was also intrigued by aviation, which 06:19.912 --> 06:24.751 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% made him a perfect fit for the early manatee aerial surveys. 06:24.851 --> 06:31.357 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% In the early 70s, when we really didn t know where manatees were or how many, we conducted 06:31.457 --> 06:38.398 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% aerial surveys in a little J3 cub airplane flying from the pan handle of Florida up every 06:38.498 --> 06:46.139 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% river, creek, bay along the entire coast, all the way around to Georgia, Savannah, Georgia. 06:46.239 --> 06:51.811 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% It was always very exciting when we had a manatee sighting because they were so few 06:51.911 --> 06:56.382 align:left position:30%,start line:83% size:60% and far between. When we first started our work in Crystal 06:56.482 --> 07:02.155 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% River, there were only about fifty, or so manatees that would use that area. But as 07:02.255 --> 07:10.029 align:left position:65%,start line:83% size:25% time went on, that population has slowly increased. Today, the Crystal River National Wildlife 07:10.129 --> 07:17.203 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Refuge counts an estimated population of 750 manatees thanks to its abundant food source, 07:17.303 --> 07:26.813 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% low human habitation and long-term protection. Crystal River is almost a mecca, not only 07:26.913 --> 07:31.317 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% for manatees but manatee biologists because all of the conditions are right. You ve 07:31.417 --> 07:38.891 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% got lots of manatees that use this area, the water is very clear. It s like a giant laboratory. 07:38.991 --> 07:47.967 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% We want to welcome you to this capture. I think this is the one that s going to give 07:48.067 --> 07:52.238 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% The number of people, it s evident it s going to be the highest capture we ve ever 07:52.338 --> 07:56.042 align:left position:45%,start line:83% size:45% had. Research biologist Dr. Bob Bonde is part of 07:56.142 --> 08:04.183 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% a group of scientists that began the Sirenia Project in the mid-1970s, a program for long-term 08:04.283 --> 08:11.891 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% study of the life history, population dynamics, and ecological requirements of the manatee, 08:11.991 --> 08:18.331 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% and for outreach to other countries with Sirenian populations. Bonde is the director and leader 08:18.431 --> 08:27.673 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% of the program s capture and assessment teams at Crystal River. 08:27.773 --> 08:31.544 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% We realized there was this opportunity to learn about what s going on with the health 08:31.644 --> 08:37.917 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% of the manatees in the population, and so the initial thrust of this was to determine 08:38.017 --> 08:43.155 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% what constituted a healthy manatee in Crystal River. 08:43.256 --> 09:04.577 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Back it up, back it up. Researchers, like Michelle Davis, collect 09:04.677 --> 09:10.116 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% biological samples to study the health of individual manatees. 09:10.216 --> 09:17.957 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The health assessments at Crystal River are a big event. We go out and we net the manatees 09:18.057 --> 09:21.060 align:left position:12.5%,start line:89% size:77.5% and we bring them up on shore. 09:21.160 --> 09:24.397 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% The most exciting part is when that first manatee comes up. 09:24.497 --> 09:30.436 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% You think about it, you re taking a 1000 to 2000 pound animal out of its environment, 09:30.536 --> 09:34.640 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% and so we have to restrain them and it gets physically difficult, and if you re in the 09:34.740 --> 09:37.410 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% wrong place at the wrong time you could be injured. 09:37.510 --> 09:43.316 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Drop that net, drop that net. Alright come down. Reverse it. 1,2,3 up. Turn. Little steps 09:43.416 --> 10:07.974 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% guys, little steps. Keep going. Keep going. Turn the head. Stop. 10:08.074 --> 10:35.167 align:left position:87.5%,start line:83% size:2.5% 1,2,3 Spin the head. Almost there. We want to try and work quickly and not keep 10:35.267 --> 10:42.408 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% them out of the water for a long period of time. 10:45.111 --> 10:47.513 align:left position:17.5%,start line:89% size:72.5% We do lengths and girths 10:47.613 --> 10:53.152 align:left position:85%,start line:89% size:5% 71. Can you call out breaths please? 10:53.252 --> 10:54.787 align:left position:35%,start line:89% size:55% and weight. 10:54.887 --> 10:57.990 align:left position:25%,start line:89% size:65% 1012. Help him down. 10:58.090 --> 11:01.627 align:left position:75%,start line:89% size:15% And we take all sorts of biological samples. 11:01.727 --> 11:17.743 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% We draw blood from the animals, we pit tag them, we take biopsies we look at the skin 11:17.843 --> 11:22.314 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% we evaluate the world and the microcosm that lives on the skin of the manatee because the 11:22.415 --> 11:25.985 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% manatee is a floating island, it s full of all kinds of interesting things You 11:26.085 --> 11:28.721 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% can see the barnacles on their bodies, which is an indicator that they ve been out in 11:28.821 --> 11:33.025 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% the marine environment, and now they come into the freshwater to take advantage of the 11:33.125 --> 11:37.763 align:left position:40%,start line:83% size:50% warmth. Over the last decade, more than two hundred 11:37.863 --> 11:43.135 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% manatees have been captured and examined at Crystal River in a quest to evaluate the fitness 11:43.235 --> 11:49.475 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% of the population and determine normal health ranges and reproductive rates for the species. 11:49.575 --> 11:55.581 align:left position:15%,start line:89% size:75% That s better. Much better. 11:55.681 --> 12:02.521 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% During one examination, a developing fetus is discovered. 12:02.621 --> 12:09.462 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% Manatees, as far as we ve studied, have really good immune systems. They ve been 12:09.562 --> 12:14.233 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% around for millions of years and I think that they re pretty hardy. 12:14.333 --> 12:19.371 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The clear water and large number of manatees at Crystal River make it easy to capture and 12:19.472 --> 12:26.512 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% examine the marine mammals. But in other parts of the world, murky waters and elusive animals 12:26.612 --> 12:33.486 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% make manatee sightings a difficult task. but everything is being spun though? One 12:33.586 --> 12:37.523 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% of the greens is not being spun. 12:37.623 --> 12:43.429 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Dr. Margaret Hunter, research geneticist with the US Geological Survey, is pioneering the 12:43.529 --> 12:50.069 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% adaptation of environmental DNA, or e-DNA, for manatee detection. 12:50.169 --> 12:56.942 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% This is really the epicenter of manatee genetics. We ve worked not only in Florida to a large 12:57.042 --> 13:03.449 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% degree but also looking at genetic samples from Puerto Rico, Belize, Brazil, all across 13:03.549 --> 13:10.623 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% the range in Africa, the Amazon manatee. We work with the cousin of the manatee, the dugong, 13:10.723 --> 13:18.230 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% looking at population structure and helping with the conservation of these species. 13:18.330 --> 13:25.437 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Environmental DNA is a method that we use to detect wild animals without having to visually 13:25.538 --> 13:30.643 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% identify them in nature. It s a unique tool, it s evolved, that s 13:30.743 --> 13:36.682 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% allowed us to, in a forensic way, look into their biology with even more intensity then 13:36.782 --> 13:43.856 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% we can do with our eyes. Environmental DNA is found in water, soil 13:43.956 --> 13:52.131 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% and air. Manatees shed DNA into the environment through excrement, saliva and loss of skin 13:52.231 --> 13:58.237 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% cells. Small fragments of manatee DNA can be found in water samples collected from the 13:58.337 --> 14:04.944 align:left position:82.5%,start line:83% size:7.5% animal s habitat. It s a tool that can identify specific waterways for more intensive 14:05.044 --> 14:08.247 align:left position:35%,start line:83% size:55% monitoring. We did this in Cuba, they actually went to 14:08.347 --> 14:13.886 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% the Guantanamo Bay and there s the Guantanamo River and the first detection of DNA that 14:13.986 --> 14:19.625 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% we had for manatees in the Guantanamo River were fragments of the DNA that came up positive. 14:19.725 --> 14:26.232 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% A large part of it is a great challenge. We have to collect a lot of samples, and a large 14:26.332 --> 14:33.072 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% enough volume of water to be able to detect the DNA within the water. Our current protocol 14:33.172 --> 14:40.212 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% is to collect 1 liter of water, and we collect replicates so that we can increase our confidence 14:40.312 --> 14:46.485 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% and our statistical information. We ll take a water sample and add preservative 14:46.585 --> 14:51.624 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% to be able to preserve the DNA that s within this water sample. Then we will chill these 14:51.724 --> 15:01.767 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% bottles down on ice and take them back to the lab for processing. 15:01.867 --> 15:07.239 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% The US Geological Survey Wetlands and Aquatic Research Center in Gainesville, Florida is 15:07.339 --> 15:15.915 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% leading the study of manatee habitats by analyzing water samples for manatee DNA. 15:16.015 --> 15:22.688 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% The water is poured through a filter to collect the DNA, then chemically treated to purify 15:22.788 --> 15:30.696 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% the DNA from proteins and other substances. The DNA is concentrated in a centrifuge, then 15:30.796 --> 15:38.037 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% washed multiple times to ensure the removal of other environmental substances 15:38.137 --> 15:44.843 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction, or digital PCR, is a process that amplifies environmental 15:44.944 --> 15:49.615 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% DNA to visualize or quantify it within the sample. 15:49.715 --> 15:56.622 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% DNA is very small, it s molecularly tiny and so we have to replicate it or copy it 15:56.722 --> 16:02.461 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% many times to be able to see it. This is similar to a photocopier. It s an 16:02.561 --> 16:07.666 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% exponential amplification. So if you have a single copy and you put it into a photocopier, 16:07.766 --> 16:11.670 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% you ll have two. And then you can put that back in and you ll have four. And so this 16:11.770 --> 16:17.876 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% continues over and over and gives us a large enough amount of DNA to be able to visualize 16:17.977 --> 16:23.282 align:left position:25%,start line:83% size:65% it on our equipment. DNA analysis has revealed troubling issues 16:23.382 --> 16:29.488 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% about the genetic diversity of the species. Manatees have been shown to have extremely 16:29.588 --> 16:37.262 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% low diversity on par with critically endangered species. You don t have the genes and the 16:37.363 --> 16:43.535 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% diversity needed to battle diseases. It can possibly lead to an extinction vortex, which 16:43.635 --> 16:49.942 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% is continuation of a loss of individuals which leads to smaller population sizes and that 16:50.042 --> 16:58.117 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% leads to more inbreeding which then repeats itself and can potentially severely harm a 16:58.217 --> 17:02.388 align:left position:35%,start line:83% size:55% population. Researcher Michelle Davis focuses on genetic 17:02.488 --> 17:07.359 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% projects that analyze manatee relatedness, inbreeding and parentage. 17:07.459 --> 17:13.866 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% There was a founder effect in Florida, where a few manatees came and founded all of Florida. 17:13.966 --> 17:18.871 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% It created this large population and then there was a population bottleneck where the 17:18.971 --> 17:24.243 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% population was really big, it came down to a smaller population and then it expanded 17:24.343 --> 17:29.181 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% from there. And so there is low genetic diversity. So everybody looks like they re related 17:29.281 --> 17:34.219 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% based on the diversity, but they re not actually like brothers and sisters. They re 17:34.319 --> 17:39.391 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% averagely related at the level of first cousins. If you go out and sample, usually about one 17:39.491 --> 17:43.529 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% in five would be related at the level of half siblings. 17:43.629 --> 17:49.835 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% While running one genetic analysis, researchers made a discovery. The first documented case 17:49.935 --> 17:56.075 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% of what appear to be identical twins found in the wild. 17:56.175 --> 18:00.245 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% And so we reran them to make sure that we analyzed it properly and hadn t made any 18:00.345 --> 18:04.883 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% mistakes in the laboratory, and found that they came back as being identical again. And 18:04.983 --> 18:09.121 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% so we went and looked at their sample names and matched it to our photo identification 18:09.221 --> 18:13.559 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% information and found that they were two different animals with different scar patterns, but 18:13.659 --> 18:23.202 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% they had the same exact genotype and the same genes. 18:23.302 --> 18:28.607 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Scar patterns are the physical evidence that help wildlife biologist Cathy Beck track the 18:28.707 --> 18:33.912 align:left position:87.5%,start line:83% size:2.5% life story of individual manatees. Some of the manatees that we were seeing at 18:34.012 --> 18:40.953 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Crystal River had marks on them that were distinguishing, unique features that we could 18:41.053 --> 18:46.825 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% use for identification. So initially, we were just going out and taking photographs and 18:46.925 --> 18:51.830 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% we had a shoebox. Literally, a shoebox of photographs on a bulletin board. 18:51.930 --> 18:56.268 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% We outgrew our shoebox real fast and our bulletin board and had to come up with some sort of 18:56.368 --> 19:01.507 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% computerized database and it has evolved to what is now a Manatee Photo Identification 19:01.607 --> 19:07.779 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% System, MIPS for short. Half a million images are cataloged in the 19:07.880 --> 19:13.385 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% database. Each photo documents the history of an individual, gives information on the 19:13.485 --> 19:20.559 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% status of the species and helps estimate adult manatee survival over time. Although they 19:20.659 --> 19:26.665 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% are a protected species, the majority of Florida manatees suffer from trauma caused by boat 19:26.765 --> 19:33.438 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% propellers, rope or fishing line entanglement, and cold-water exposure. 19:33.539 --> 19:40.245 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Usually, by the time a manatee is an adult, we find some kind of mark on it. I m hard 19:40.345 --> 19:46.585 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% pressed to find an animal that doesn t have some kind of feature that we can use for identification. 19:46.685 --> 19:52.558 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% Most of the features are a result of an encounter with a boat, but not all. 19:52.658 --> 19:59.965 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% This animal in particular had a pretty severe boat wound and you can see an actual deformity 20:00.065 --> 20:06.572 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% here where the bone underneath is trying to heal and it s cauliflowering out. This wound 20:06.672 --> 20:13.579 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% healed to have a feature that is now still identifiable. It s survived and it s still 20:13.679 --> 20:19.785 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% out there. This is our catalog of survivors. Looking at pictures of scarred animals day 20:19.885 --> 20:26.692 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% after day after day and especially calves with fresh hits is hard. You have to remove 20:26.792 --> 20:32.164 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% yourself from what you re actually seeing and what the animal is no doubt suffering 20:32.264 --> 20:37.069 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Is that affecting their long-term survival? Does that shorten their life span? Does it 20:37.169 --> 20:44.042 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% affect their reproduction? Right now manatees in Florida seem to be doing well and it doesn t 20:44.142 --> 20:51.250 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% seem like that s the case but long-term trends, we are still gathering that data. 20:51.350 --> 20:56.855 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% The Manatee Photo ID System can help identify manatees that venture far from Florida s 20:56.955 --> 21:04.630 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% waters like one from Miami that showed up in Cape Cod, and a female from Crystal River 21:04.730 --> 21:11.536 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% that ended up on the north shore of Cuba. Recent studies have documented an expansion 21:11.637 --> 21:17.876 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% of the population into north Florida and along the Gulf coast to Alabama and Louisiana. 21:17.976 --> 21:26.218 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% eDNA is really important in this study to potentially identify where manatees are in 21:26.318 --> 21:31.790 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% this migration and where we can find them. We believe that it s based on the population 21:31.890 --> 21:37.896 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% expansion and now there are enough manatees, that they are seeking additional food resources 21:37.996 --> 21:43.235 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% in the summer. And then as it gets cooler, in the winter, they return to Florida, to 21:43.335 --> 21:47.773 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% overwinter in our natural springs, which hold a constant temperature, and allow them to 21:47.873 --> 21:53.612 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% survive the colder temperatures. Sustained water temperatures below sixty-eight 21:53.712 --> 22:01.153 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% degrees can cause life-threatening hypothermia in manatees. And as creatures of habit, they 22:01.253 --> 22:07.693 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% return to the same warm water sources year after year. 22:07.793 --> 22:13.098 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% But scientists believe as many as seventy per cent of Florida s manatee population 22:13.198 --> 22:19.471 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% is dependent on artificial sources of warm water produced by coastal power plants. It 22:19.571 --> 22:25.811 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% is thought that these warm water stepping-stones around the state have helped the manatee population 22:25.911 --> 22:33.218 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% expand its numbers and range. But now, power companies are gradually converting their plants 22:33.318 --> 22:40.625 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% from oil to natural gas, a cleaner fuel, but a process that cuts the warm water flow. 22:40.726 --> 22:47.532 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% They ve got to tear down the plant for about three years as they shift to natural gas. 22:47.632 --> 22:53.372 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% Well during that time, the warm water disappears. And so one of our projects has been to tag 22:53.472 --> 23:00.445 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% manatees that come into these plants to find out what they do when there s no warm water. 23:00.545 --> 23:05.617 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% What Florida Power and Light has done is actually installed giant heaters that if temperatures 23:05.717 --> 23:09.988 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% really drop, they ll turn these heaters on just for manatees, to keep them warm 23:10.088 --> 23:14.960 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% to ensure that this species that has largely become dependent on the warm water from the 23:15.060 --> 23:21.500 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% power plants has sanctuary even as they re making this change and this transition. 23:21.600 --> 23:26.738 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% If you flip a switch off at a power plant and it s not strategically done, you re 23:26.838 --> 23:33.311 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% going to have a lot of dead manatees if they don t have any other options. 23:33.412 --> 23:38.483 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% With the potential reduction of artificial warm water sites in the future, spring-fed 23:38.583 --> 23:45.023 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% habitats like Crystal River could become even more important for long-term manatee survival. 23:45.123 --> 23:52.264 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% If you have a thousand manatees now and in ten or twenty years you have two thousand 23:52.364 --> 23:57.035 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% or four thousand, is there enough vegetation out there? Is there enough carrying capacity 23:57.135 --> 24:02.307 align:left position:65%,start line:83% size:25% and habitat for those manatees to live comfortably? Those are the kinds of fundamental questions 24:02.407 --> 24:16.521 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% that we re anticipating that we re going to be able to answer in the future. 24:16.621 --> 24:23.628 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% As researchers continue to document the biological data that characterize a healthy manatee today, 24:23.728 --> 24:28.800 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% scientists from around the world are adopting the techniques developed at Crystal River 24:28.900 --> 24:35.640 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% to evaluate and conserve their own manatee populations. 24:35.740 --> 24:40.912 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% Wherever we work we try to work with the agencies that have responsibility for this species, 24:41.012 --> 24:47.452 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% as well as trying to recruit students and biologists that we can help train and mentor 24:47.552 --> 24:50.722 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% because they re the ones who are going to leave a legacy behind when we re no longer 24:50.822 --> 24:55.794 align:left position:32.5%,start line:83% size:57.5% working there. The common denominator is right behind me, 24:55.894 --> 24:58.864 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% and that s the animal that brings us all here, and we re all trying to do something 24:58.964 --> 25:04.970 align:left position:30%,start line:83% size:60% for that animal. The more that can be done for the manatee 25:05.070 --> 25:11.610 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% today, in understanding its health and habitat needs, the more realistic are the possibilities 25:11.710 --> 25:40.272 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% for the future success of the entire species. 1,2,3 slide. Hand it off. 1,2,3 slide. 1,2,3 25:40.372 --> 26:03.228 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% slide. Okay, hold the stretcher, and we re good. 26:03.328 --> 26:08.767 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Major funding for this program was provided by the Batchelor Foundation, encouraging people 26:08.867 --> 26:17.676 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% to preserve and protect America s underwater resources. And by Divers Direct/Emocean Sports 26:17.776 --> 26:25.150 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% inspiring the pursuit of adventure and water sports. And by the following In Memory of 26:25.250 --> 26:29.250 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Harriet Fagan, the Do Unto Others Trust, and the Friends of Changing Seas.