BIO

Hi, my name is Marley Hoffman I am from Union Township, New Jersey. I am a second year studying Biology with a minor in Environmental Science and Policy. I am part of the Marine Turtle Research, Ecology, and Conservation Group at FSU.

A Preliminary Examination of Vessel Characteristics to Inform Conservation of Marine Megafauna at Three Locations on Florida's Gulf Coast

Abstract

Interactions with vessels have been identified as a threat to marine megafauna. Florida waters are home to many species of marine megafauna; however, there have been limited studies which assess the potential spatial overlap between these species and vessels. Here we aimed to assess the spatial overlap between vessels and locally important and imperiled species of marine megafauna (e.g., marine turtles and dolphins) at three locations on Florida’s gulf coast: St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Destin. These were selected because they exhibit high rates of marine turtle strandings due to vessel strikes and because they are known tourist destinations, bringing in millions of visitors yearly. In order to assess the potential interactions between marine megafauna and vessels at these locations, we conduct systematically designed transects, where we record data on vessels and marine species present. During our transects, we record information on each vessel present within 200 M of our transects, including boat type, engine type, and activities of boaters. From this, we can disentangle temporal variation in the abundance of marine vessels and identify groups of boaters who are likely to interact with marine megafauna. While more data is needed to determine the extent of overlap between vessels and marine megafauna, this preliminary analysis demonstrates the utility of vessel-based transects to survey boat traffic and the characteristics of boaters. This information is invaluable, and we suggest it can be used for the development of targeted outreach campaigns and adaptive management strategies.

Keywords: marine megafauna, conservation, vessel interaction