FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 10, 2015

CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850.245.2112, DEPNews@dep.state.fl.us 

BISCAYNE BAY AQUATIC PRESERVES HOSTS NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION AND RESPONSE TRAINING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT

~Training improves interagency coordination to protect marine mammals and resources~

Demonstrating with a replica, Wendy Marks, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, teaches FWC officers how to put a dolphin in a stretcher for transport.

MIAMI – To equip local law enforcement with the necessary skills to assist in marine mammal rescues, several state environmental offices recently conducted a natural resource protection and response training workshop. This training included a hands-on afternoon session for the officers to practice whale and dolphin shoreline stranding responses and boat-based manatee rescue nettings.

“The officers that participated in this training are often first responders to marine mammal rescues and strandings or natural resource damage events,” said Laura Eldredge, Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserves’ environmental programs coordinator. “This training allows them to learn from the lead agencies in manatee, whale, dolphin, coral reef, seagrass, mangrove and derelict vessel responses so they are appropriately prepared if these events occur.”

The Florida Coastal Office provided presentations on applicable environmental laws, derelict vessel reporting and response, and spoil island management. Presentations from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Manatee Section, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and the Marine Animal Rescue Society focused on properly reporting grounding or stranding incidences, protecting the public during response and officers’ roles.

“This training helps officers understand environmental laws and increase interagency cooperation to protect Florida’s natural resources,” said Mollie Sinnott, reef injury prevention and response coordinator for the Coral Reef Conservation Program. 

About the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Florida Coastal Office

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Coastal Office (FCO) is responsible for oversight of the state’s 41 Aquatic Preserves, three National Estuarine Research Reserves, the Coral Reef Conservation Program, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the Florida Coastal Management Program and the Outer Continental Shelf Program. It is the mission of FCO to conserve and restore Florida’s coastal, ocean, and aquatic resources for the benefit of people and the environment. For more information, visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/.

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLDEP/bulletins/12459ec