The UF Marine Animal Rescue (UFMAR) program’s mission is to respond to live, distressed, or deceased marine mammals and sea turtles along Florida’s Nature Coast. UFMAR extends our staff’s support to assist Florida’s stranding network partners during mass stranding events, large whale responses, and small cetacean disentanglement efforts. Our fundamental goals include promoting awareness, education, and understanding of marine animal health as well as the health of the environment. A One Health approach is used to understand the interconnectedness of the environment, our marine species, and human health challenges.
UFMAR acts on its fundamental goals both in and out of the fieldwork realm of science. Education and awareness are promoted to our community members during public outreach events and classroom visits ranging from grade school level to veterinary students. We value the publication of research and subsequent findings that impact marine animals along the Gulf coast. UFMAR recognizes the importance of our vital partnerships with sponsors, agencies, and local organizations and community members. Our work would not be possible without these connections and collaborations.
Program History
Funding support to create UFMAR, adopted as our official public name in 2019, became available in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), as “Increased Capacity for Marine Mammal Response and Analysis – University of Florida”, and in conjunction with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The program was first envisioned in 2016 as the Cedar Key Northwest Florida Stranding Program and authorized by NOAA’s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP) on December 8, 2016. This allowed marine animal stranding response in Levy, Dixie and Taylor counties on Florida’s Nature Coast, the last uncovered area of the Florida coast. This territory is comprised of an area incorporating federal refuges and state parks protecting wild ecosystems, as well as coastal cities and towns in one of the wildest areas of Florida.
The initial team was assembled with Dr. Mike Walsh, Dr. Craig Pelton, Rachael Dailey-Mihalik (Rollins College), Nina Thompson (UF), and advocate partners Jack Payne (retired from UF) and Dr. Mike Allen of the UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station, along with additional support from Dr. Stefanie Gazda of the Cedar Key Dolphin Project. The program became fully functional in early 2017 after acquiring a boat, trailer, truck, our first stranding biologist, and our most important partner, the US Fish and Wildlife Service Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge. Some of the founding members have moved on and continue to protect the Gulf in other ways, while the current team and partners work together with community members, program volunteers, and the general public, to protect and promote conservation of Florida’s marine animals and the environment we all share. Our dedicated response team now has two full time stranding biologists and is essential to ensuring the rescue of stranded marine animals and collecting the data needed within this dynamic response area.
Gulf Coast Stranding Response Partners
The UF Marine Animal Rescue Program covers dolphin, whale, manatee and sea turtle strandings in Levy, Dixie, and Taylor county. Geographic areas covered are shown on the map below.
Statewide and Regional Partners
We appreciate the support and assistance of the following organizations. Click on the logos to learn more about them.
