FLORIDA MARINE MAMMAL
HEALTH CONFERENCE III

April 22 – 25, 2008

l Conference Objective

l Sponsor Recognition  & Opportunities

l Area Information

l Conference Purpose

l Program Agenda

l Travel & Airport Transportation Information

l Who Will Attend?

l Poster Directory

l Conference Organizers

l CEUs for Veterinarians

l Meeting Location Information

l Conference Program Committee

l Graduate Students Awards

l Registration Information

l Other Sites of Interest

l Call for Abstracts

l Host Hotel Information

l For Further Information

l Available speaker presentations
may be viewed from the Program Agenda

The purpose of this conference is to address issues bearing on the health and well being of the four principal species of wild marine mammals found in Florida waters: manatees, bottlenose dolphins, pygmy sperm whales and Northern right whales, as well as captive marine mammals at theme parks, aquariums, and zoos. This conference will provide a forum for people working on issues affecting these and other marine mammal species, and provide an opportunity to review their current health status, discuss future directions of investigation, and determine actions likely to produce benefits to their health and survival.

The last FMMHC was held in April 2005, and was attended by more than 200 veterinarians, veterinary students, graduate students, veterinary technicians, academic scientists, field biologists, and wildlife managers and we invite you to join us in 2008 as we investigate ways to reduce state and federal resources spent on marine mammal health issues by developing better preventative practices.

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The conference is designed to bring together scientists, veterinarians, managers, policy makers, planners and partners who are actively involved in and/or affected by all aspects of marine mammal health and welfare. Participants will interact in an interdisciplinary setting to summarize and review state-of-the-art science, healthcare, and management activities, and to formulate goals and strategies for improvements. Attendees will have ample opportunities to share information regarding issues that affect marine mammals during topical discussion periods, poster sessions and networking functions.

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• Veterinarians • Veterinary Students and Technicians • Marine Biologists • Aquarists & Aquarium Keepers • Zoo Managers and Zoo Veterinarians • Animal Curators • Conservation Biologists and Zoologists • Academic Faculty and Researchers • Graduate Students • Policy makers • Wildlife Managers • Government Agency Representatives • Boating Management Specialists • Population Managers • Species Survival Managers • Marine Mammal Stranding Volunteers and Coordinators • Marine Industry Consultants

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If you are a licensed veterinarian or if you maintain a professional license issued by a society, an association, an occupational licensing board or a department of professional regulation within your state, you may be eligible to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for your participation in this conference. Be sure to contact the appropriate authority who manages your professional certification to verify this conference program meets your state's licensing requirements, and to confirm what documentation is required to earn CEUs.

A Record of Attendance Log will be maintained at the conference where you can sign in and sign out each day and create a record verifying your daily attendance. Within 30 days upon conclusion of the conference, we will mail you a formal "Certificate of Attendance" indicating the actual number of contact hours you accrued based on your participation hours recorded in the attendance log. It is your responsibility to compile all necessary paperwork and provide it to the appropriate licensing board or professional organization with whom you are certified, and to confirm this program content is acceptable based on their individual standards.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Veterinary doctor’s credit hours will be based on one hour credit for each “contact” hour (no less than 50 minutes) of attendance. The preliminary agenda for this conference entails 9.5 contact hours.

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Graduate Students Awards

Two prizes of $1000 each will be awarded at the conference. The Reep-Bonde Prize will be awarded to the graduate student presenting research that furthers our knowledge of fundamental manatee biology. The Bonde-Reep Prize will be awarded to a student whose research contributes to manatee health or conservation. These awards are made possible compliments of proceeds from the sale of The Florida Manatee Biology and Conservation, a book co-authored by Roger Reep and Bob Bonde.

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Call for Abstracts
 

The program will consist of invited speakers, as well as oral and poster presentations selected from abstract submissions.  You are invited to submit abstracts on all topics relevant to marine mammal health and your results and experiences.

Programmatic Topics:

• Virology • Pathology • Parasitology • Histology • Toxicology • Genetics • Emerging Diseases • Environmental Hazards

• Veterinary Medicine • Care and Management • Marine Mammal Transport • Marine Mammal Stranding • Biotoxins • Right Whales • Power plants and manatees

All abstracts, both oral and poster, will be published in the conference book of abstracts. As with oral presentations, posters provide a valuable opportunity for scientific interaction and discussion of issues affecting marine mammal health. Abstracts are due no later than February 1, 2008 and must be submitted electronically via the online submission form. Detailed instructions are provided below. Please be sure to follow them carefully to ensure your submission is received and recorded.

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The University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine and the Whitney Laboratory of Marine Bioscience are organizing the Florida Marine Mammal Health Conference as a collaborative effort - and we invite you to join us.

Marine mammals are a vital part of our global environment, and your attendance and sponsorship of the Florida Marine Mammal Health Conference will identify you as a leader in promoting the health and welfare of these magnificent animals. The conference will also provide you with a valuable opportunity to exchange vital information with top experts from around the world about the care and management of marine mammals, marine mammal transport, marine mammal strandings, emerging diseases, environmental hazards and numerous issues affecting their health and safety and survival of the species.

Demonstrate your organization’s ongoing commitment to promote the well-being of marine mammals and join us in the effort. As a participating sponsor of this conference, you will. . .

1. Learn about the latest advances in marine mammal health issues.

2. Learn about new technical approaches to marine mammal biology.

3. Network with colleagues from around the world and share your knowledge, experiences and information.

4. Establish connections and form collaborations with other companies as well as educational, scientific and governmental institutions represented by conference attendees.

5. Be involved in discussions to set priorities promoting the health and welfare of marine mammals around the world.

6. Meet potential clients and forge new business relationships with specialists in marine mammal health care.

7. Increase brand recognition, generate exposure and enhance awareness of your company’s product on an international level.

8. Reinforce your organization’s visibility in the marine mammal health care arena as a featured sponsor on the conference web site with a link to your organization’s home page.

Education is the greatest tool available to protect marine mammals and their ocean homes from future damage, and to engage the next generation of global citizens. Communicate your organization’s interests in these worthwhile objectives by supporting this conference and advances in marine mammal health.

Questions about becoming a sponsor? Contact Beth Miller-Tipton at: bmt@ufl.edu

A Special Thank You to the Following Organizations for Supporting our Efforts
to Improve Marine Mammal Health Care:

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Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Friday, April 25, 2008

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POSTER SESSION ONE - Wednesday, April 23, 1:30pm-3:30pm

Crassicauda sp. Infection in Pygmy Sperm Whale (Kogia breviceps), on Ceará state, NE of Brazil − Bianca Altieri, Centro de Especialidades Veterinárias, Ceara, Brazil

Strandings Records of Cetaceans (Order Cetacea) in Coast Alagoas, Pernambuco and Paraiba States - Brazil in the Period from 2003 to 2007 − Fernanda Attademo, Fundação Mamíferos Aquáticos, Pernambuco, Brazil

Boat-based Anthropogenic Impacts on Dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida − Sarah Bechdel, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, United States

Selenium and Mercury Concentrations in Liver of Stranded Pygmy Sperm Whales (Kogia breviceps) Affected by Cardiomyopathy − Colleen Bryan, NIST, United States

Comparisons of Fecal Cortisol Levels in Wild and Captive West Indian Manatees (Trichechus manatus): Who's More Stressed?  − Kyle Donnelly, University of Florida,College of Veterinary Medicine, United States

Hematological, Biochemical and Immunological Findings in Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) with Orogenital Papillomas − Juli Goldstein, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Inst., United States

Use of Photo-analysis of Dolphin Mother-Calf Pairs to Determine Reproductive Rates in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida. − Elisabeth Howells, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, United States

Environmental Correlates with Kogia Strandings from the Southeastern United States − Edward Keith, Nova Southeastern University, United States

Home Ranges of Bottlenose Dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida: Environmental Correlates and Implications for the Interpretation of Health Status − Marilyn Mazzoil, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, United States

Photo-identification for Estimation of Prevalence, Spatial Distribution and Temporal Trends of Lobomycosis in Bottlenose Dolphins from the Indian River Lagoon, Florida − Elizabeth Murdoch, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, United States

Viral Metagenomics Reveals a Novel Anellovirus from a Mortality Event of Three Captive Sea Lions − Terry Fei Fan Ng, University of South Florida, United States

Circulating Retinol and Alpha-Tocopherol Levels Based on Artificial Formula Consumed in Rescued Neonatal Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina) − Noel Takeuchi, University of Florida, United States

POSTER SESSION TWO - Thursday, April 24, 1:30pm-3:30pm

Ingestion of Plastic Debris by Marine Manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus) Reintroduced on the Coast of Paraíba / Brazil: Case Report − Fernanda Attademo, Fundação Mamíferos Aquáticos, Pernambuco, Brazil

Manatees and Barges − Edmund Gerstein, Leviathan Legacy Inc., United States

Ship Strike Acoustics: In the Shadow of Death − Edmund Gerstein, Leviathan Legacy Inc., United States

Manatee Zones of Masking from Dredging Noise − Edmund Gerstein, Leviathan Legacy Inc., United States

CT and MRI Techniques for Analysis of Trauma and Disease in Marine Mammals − Darlene R. Ketten, Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst., United States

Lower Annual Survival Rates Confirmed for Adult Manatees in Northwest Florida during a Red Tide Event − Catherine Langtimm, US Geological Survey, United States

Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) Development: Embryological and Fetal Anatomy and Staging − Iske Larkin, University of Florida, United States

The Effects of the Visiting Public on the Swimming Behavior of Captive Florida Manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) − Michelle Latham, Midwest Florida Manatee Research Project, United States

Teodolite Observations of the Gray Whale in the Region of the Construction Gas and Oil Extraction of Platform − Natalia Kryukova, Kamchatka Branch of Pacific Institute of Geograph, Russia

Morphological Description of Conjunctiva-Associated Lymphoid Tissue (CALT) in the Florida Manatee, Trichechus manatus latirostris − Jennifer McGee, University of Florida, United States

Immunosuppression Cascade in the Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) − Katherine Moore, Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center, United States

Genetic Studies of the West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) in Mexico − Coralie Nourisson, ECOSUR, Quintana Roo, Mexico

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The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience
9505 Ocean Shore Blvd.
St. Augustine, FL 32080
PHONE: 904-461-4000 l FAX: 904-461-4052
Peter A. V. Anderson, Director

The FMMHC will be held at the Center for Marine Science (CMS) located at the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience located in Marineland, FL, just south of St. Augustine. The eight-acre campus is situated on a narrow barrier island, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, both of which are just a few hundred feet away.

The 17,000 square foot, two-story building houses the rapidly growing educational/outreach programs and enables the Lab to offer courses and workshops for undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students. For more information on the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, visit their web site at: www.whitney.ufl.edu/

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REGISTRATION FEE SCHEDULE All figures are in US dollars ($).

What Does the Registration Fee Include?

Meeting & Student Attendees: The registration fee provides full participation in the conference including registration materials and an abstract book. The fee also includes a Welcome Social on Tuesday evening, a Networking Social at Marineland on Wednesday and a poolside cookout on Thursday evening. A group lunch will be provided on Wednesday and Thursday, and morning, mid-day and afternoon refreshment breaks will be provided each day. 

Guest Fee: The Marine Mammal guest fee allows guests 12 years of age and older to attend all three evening events.

Refund Policy: All refund requests must be received in writing by April 1, 2008. A processing fee of $125.00 will be deducted from all meeting participant refunds and $25.00 from all guest and student refunds.

Special Needs: Participants with special needs can be reasonably accommodated by contacting the Office of Conferences & Institutes at least 21 working days prior to the conference. We can be reached by phone at 1-352-392-5930, by FAX at 1-352-392-9734, or by calling 1-800-955-8771 (TDD). The TDD number can only be accessed from within the State of Florida.
 

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Holiday Inn St. Augustine Beach
860 A1A Beach Blvd.
St. Augustine Beach, FL 32080 USA
HOTEL FRONT DESK: 1-904-471-2555 l HOTEL FAX: 1-904-461-8450

Participants of the 2008 FMMHC will stay at the beautiful oceanfront Holiday Inn in St. Augustine Beach, Florida. Despite the fact it is winter and peak season in Florida, the Holiday Inn is offering us a very special reduced rate for standard guest rooms of $121.00 a night. This rate is a net, non-commissionable rate, and applies to 1 - 4 persons per room, per night and is subject to St. Johns County sales tax and Tourism Development Tax. (Currently combined to equal 9%). Based on availability, rollaway beds are $10.00 + tax per night, cribs are free.

Group discounts apply to partial view rooms only. Oceanfront rooms cannot be blocked and are based solely on availability at $169.00 per night + tax. In order for a guest to have their phone turned on, and the ability to charge incidentals to their room, a credit card guarantee is required at check-in.

RESERVATION PROCEDURES

Individual reservations may be made by calling 1-800-626-7263 and identifying oneself as being with the Florida Marine Mammal Health Conference [Group Code MMC]. Reservations can also be made online connecting to www.holidayinn.com/staugustine. On the left hand side of the screen, enter the arrival and departure dates and Group Code MMC. Reservations must be guaranteed by a major credit card by March 7th, 2008, six weeks prior to arrival.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The deadline to make your hotel reservation and still receive the discounted group rate HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO Friday, March 14, 2008. After this date, guestrooms may no longer be available and the discounted group rate may no longer apply. Our welcome reception on Tuesday and the poolside cookout on Thursday will be held at the Holiday Inn, so we hope you plan to stay there and enjoy the evening activities without the hassle of commuting to another property.

- CHECK-IN TIME: 4:00PM

- CHECK-OUT TIME: 11:00AM
  (Please be advised that due to the high volume of turnover during the peak season, the hotel will hold strongly to
   the 11:00AM check – out time.)