MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION — Annual Report for 1992 
tees. Similarly, since its creation in the mid-1980s, 
the Save the Manatee Club has become a major 
contributor to public awareness efforts and support for 
manatee research, and has provided a strong voice of 
public support for manatee conservation actions. 
As discussed in previous annual reports, notable 
contributions have been made by the Army Corps of 
Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Marine 
Fisheries Service, the Florida Marine Patrol, the 
Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, the 
Florida Department of Community Affairs, Florida’s 
Inland Navigation Districts and Water Management 
Districts, the Georgia Department of Natural Resourc- 
es, several commercial marine zoological parks and 
oceanaria in Florida, The Nature Conservancy, 
various colleges and universities, and other agencies 
and organizations. 
Marine Mammal Commission Review 
of the Manatee Recovery Program 
As noted above, the Fish and Wildlife Service 
adopted a revised Florida Manatee Recovery Plan in 
1989. The revised plan included budget and task 
projections for both research and management work 
over a five-year period. In late 1991 — about half- 
way through the five-year planning period — the 
Commission concluded that a thorough review of the 
manatee recovery program should be held to evaluate 
progress, to determine if task and funding projections 
developed three years earlier remained valid or needed 
to be adjusted, and to begin identifying changes that 
should be considered when the plan is next updated. 
To conduct the review, the Commission and its 
Committee of Scientific Advisors on Marine Mammals 
scheduled their 1992 annual meeting for 30 April-2 
May in Tallahassee, Florida. Two days of the meet- 
ing were dedicated to reviewing all aspects of the 
manatee recovery program. Representatives of the 
Fish and Wildlife Service, several agencies of the 
State of Florida, county governments, and public and 
private groups involved in recovery work participated. 
In general the Commission concluded that, while 
it remains uncertain whether the envisioned research 
and management measures will, in fact, reduce hu- 
10 
man-caused manatee mortality and habitat degradation 
rates, that which is contemplated appears reasonable 
and offers the best chance of success if fully carried 
out. Moreover, impressive progress is being made to 
expand efforts in almost all areas, and most work 
appears to be progressing quickly. Some specific 
results of the review are discussed below. 
The Manatee Salvage and Necropsy Program — 
Representatives of the Florida Department of Natural 
Resources noted that manatee mortality data collected 
through the salvage and necropsy program continue to 
be one of the most important bases for making mana- 
tee management decisions. To improve the program, 
the Department recently increased the number of 
program staff, designed and contracted for delivery of 
the first of five refrigerated trailers for transporting 
carcasses and, with funds provided by the Fish and 
Wildlife Service under section 6 of the Endangered 
Species Act, began constructing a dedicated manatee 
necropsy laboratory at Eckerd College, St. Peters- 
burg, Florida. Important program needs are to 
identify the factors contributing to the increase in 
perinatal deaths, to evaluate potential disease process- 
es, and to improve the manatee tissue bank. 
Manatee Tagging and Tracking — Scientists with 
the Fish and Wildlife Service reported that a program 
capable of radio-tagging and tracking by satellite some 
20 manatees per year is now in place. Although work 
presently is focused on the east coast of Florida, the 
Service has started a pilot tracking study in coopera- 
tion with the Navy in Puerto Rico, and the Florida 
Department of Natural Resources has begun a pilot 
study to tag and track animals in Tampa Bay on the 
west coast of Florida. The resulting data on manatee 
movements are opening a new window of under- 
standing with which to develop and evaluate site- 
specific management options and to consider manatee 
life history and habitat use. Future needs include 
maintaining the present level of effort, ensuring rapid 
entry of data into the geographic information system 
database, and identifying other regions of the State 
where future radio-tracking work should be focused. 
Manatee Population Dynamics — On 4-6 Febru- 
ary 1992 the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida 
Department of Natural Resources convened a work- 
