Mississippi Marine Mammal and Turtle Conservation, Recovery and Monitoring Program – Phase 1

About this grant

This five-year project will engage state and federal agencies, academic institutions and conservation organizations to bolster the capacity of Mississippi’s marine mammal and sea turtle stranding network. The overall goal is to improve response to injured or dead animals and develop a consistent scientific understanding of the causes of mortality to inform management actions in the state. Project components will seek to: 1) bolster state partnerships and enhance stranding network capacity, 2) perform health and mortality assessments, 3) rehabilitate and release injured sea turtles, as appropriate, 4) use satellite telemetry tagging to assess habitat utilization and validate rehabilitation success, 5) improve compliance with utilization of Turtle Excluder Devices, and 6) establish a fisheries observer program. This project seeks to address scientific gaps and improve the understanding of foundational causes of marine mammal and sea turtle strandings in order to increase populations in the Mississippi Sound.