FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute

FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute The Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) is the research division of the FWC. Petersburg, Florida.

FWRI conducts research throughout Florida that obtains wide-ranging data and information needed by fish, wildlife and ecosystem resource managers. The Institute employs more than 700 staff members and is headquartered in downtown St. More than 20 field stations enable other staff members to be strategically located throughout the state. FWRI integrates its research with the management efforts of o

ther FWC division by providing science-based assessments and decision support to the FWC Commissioners and others responsible for managing or regulating activities that depend on Florida’s diverse natural resources. In addition to the FWC, federal, state and local governments; universities; recreational and commercial fishing interests; recreational hunting and boating interests; nongovernmental organizations and the public use the results of FWRI’s research. Many of these entities also collaborate on research projects.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads helping raise the next generation, whether they’re feathered, scaley, furry, human, o...
06/19/2026

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads helping raise the next generation, whether they’re feathered, scaley, furry, human, or a jokester. 💙

Share your favorite dad jokes this Father’s Day! 🤣

📸 Photos: FWC

🐢 2026 Sea Turtle Nesting Season Update 🐢 It's World Sea Turtle Day and the 2026 nesting season continues with a very st...
06/16/2026

🐢 2026 Sea Turtle Nesting Season Update 🐢
It's World Sea Turtle Day and the 2026 nesting season continues with a very strong start across Florida this summer! 💪

Leatherbacks are currently on track for another record year, and loggerheads are also tracking above recent years, although it is still too early to know whether this will become a record-breaking season. Green turtles are also off to a stronger start than expected following the very high nesting numbers documented in 2025.

We also have an exciting first for Florida: one olive ridley nest was documented in May and confirmed by genetics, representing the first ever documented olive ridley nesting event in the state!

Here are preliminary statewide totals as of May 31st:
🟠38,874 loggerhead nests (compared to 24,130 in 2025, 27,135 in 2024, 36,514 in 2023, and 13,036 in 2022)
🟣271 green turtle nests (compared to 110 in 2025, 57 in 2024, 2,291 in 2023, and 67 in 2022)
🔵 1,806 leatherback nests (compared to 1,683 in 2025, 1,445 in 2024, 1,220 in 2023, and 1,245 in 2022)
🟢 10 confirmed Kemp’s ridley nests (compared to 5 in 2025, 8 in 2024, 5 in 2023, and 7 in 2022)
⚪0 hawksbill nests (compared to 0 in 2025, 0 in 2024, 0 in 2023, and 2 in 2022)
🔴 1 olive ridley nest, the first ever documented in Florida!

💫 Thanks to all the permit holders, volunteers, and partners involved in this incredible community science effort, working together to document sea turtle nesting activity across the state!

Check back for monthly updates throughout the season! ✅

📸Photos: FWC

The Fish You Release Still Matter! 🎣FWC’s Fisheries Dependent Monitoring team recently launched a new pilot project in ...
06/16/2026

The Fish You Release Still Matter! 🎣
FWC’s Fisheries Dependent Monitoring team recently launched a new pilot project in partnership with states along the Gulf coast, with the help of Mississippi State University. 🌊

🔹Recreational anglers in Tampa Bay and the Panhandle:
✅ Pick up a Catch Card prior to leaving the dock on the day of your fishing trip
✅ Record your catch and releases from throughout your trip
✅ Scan the QR code provided on the card upon return
✅ And submit a photo of your completed card to Bluefin Data

Your data will help biologists along the Gulf Coast understand current recreational fishing patterns and improve management efforts!

📸Photos: FWC and Mississippi State University

Have you seen me? 👀🐾I have a brown body and a yellowish-white belly, a black-tipped tail, and a pointed face. What am I...
06/15/2026

Have you seen me? 👀🐾
I have a brown body and a yellowish-white belly, a black-tipped tail, and a pointed face. What am I?
.. A long-tailed weasel! Not to be confused with another uncommon and furry mammal of the same size, the fox squirrel!

While both have a white belly, fox squirrels come in all sorts of colors and have a much fluffier tail.

At about 9-12 inches long not including their tail, weasels are about the size of a can of tennis balls.

FWC biologists need your help! Report weasel sightings online to help biologists collect data and better evaluate the population status of weasels in Florida.

🔗 Click the link in our bio for more info and how your reports can help these elusive critters.

📸 Photos: Courtesy of Patty Pickett and Jeffery Offerman

Now that’s a needlefish! 🐟🔹FWC’s Fisheries-Independent Monitoring biologists recently caught this impressive houndfish d...
06/12/2026

Now that’s a needlefish! 🐟
🔹FWC’s Fisheries-Independent Monitoring biologists recently caught this impressive houndfish during monthly sampling in Tampa Bay. Measuring 3 feet in total length, it was the second-largest houndfish recorded in Tampa Bay monitoring history!

From 1996 to 2024, biologists captured 133 houndfish during Tampa Bay monitoring surveys, with an average total length of 1.4 feet.

Houndfish belong to the needlefish family (Belonidae) and are among the largest needlefish species in the world, capable of reaching lengths up to 5 feet.

Built like living arrows, these surface hunters use their elongated jaws to strike fast-moving prey with remarkable precision. You may also see them "skipping" across the water when they feel threatened. 🌊

📸 Photos: FWC

Step Into Your While freshwater turtles are found throughout Florida, they face dangers from vehicle strikes, diseases,...
06/11/2026

Step Into Your

While freshwater turtles are found throughout Florida, they face dangers from vehicle strikes, diseases, and illegal poaching. Here are some ways to power up your turtle conservation efforts to help this .

- You can help freshwater turtles trying to cross roads in search of nesting areas or new habitat by moving them across the road in the direction they were headed. Remember that your safety comes first – don’t make any risky decisions in traffic. Turtles can also bite and scratch, so only handle these animals if you are comfortable doing so. (And remember to never place a gopher tortoise in the water – they can’t swim!)
- If you come across an injured freshwater turtle, it can be transported to a permitted wildlife rehabber: bit.ly/LicensedWildlifeRehabilitators
- If you come across a freshwater turtle acting strangely and think it may be sick, please report the sighting to the FWC at bit.ly/TurtleFraservirus1_FWC
- Keep turtles where you find them and admire them in their natural habitats. Turtles should never be relocated or removed from the wild to be kept as pets. Moving turtles risks spreading diseases and vehicle strikes as turtles will try to return home. (It is also illegal to possess, harm or disturb sea turtles, gopher tortoises, and imperiled freshwater turtles.)
- If you are thinking about a freshwater turtle as a pet, consider signing up as an adopter for FWC’s Exotic Pet Amnesty Program.
- You should never approach someone suspected of poaching turtles. Instead, report any suspicious or illegal activity to the FWC by our Wildlife Alert program at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922). You can also call the hotline to report any potential tortoise violations, a sea turtle nest disturbance or an injured, dead or harassed sea turtle.


Photo credit: Jake Scott

🚨 Manatee Calf Rescue! 🚨 Our manatee rescue team received a call last week about a small, distressed manatee floating ne...
06/10/2026

🚨 Manatee Calf Rescue! 🚨
Our manatee rescue team received a call last week about a small, distressed manatee floating next to a dock at Eckerd College in St. Pete.

FWC and Eckerd College Search and Rescue teams were able to locate and rescue the manatee. The juvenile male had wounds from a recent watercraft interaction, several shark bite wounds on his tail and peduncle (where the tail connects to the body) and was underweight.

Shortly after the rescue, a team from ZooTampa at Lowry Park arrived and transported the manatee to their manatee hospital for further care.

📞 If you see an injured, distressed, or an abandoned calf call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922. Early rescue efforts may save a manatee’s life!

📸 Photos: Eckerd College and FWC
Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership

Happy World Environment Day! DYK Florida is home to more than 100 different species of dragonflies? 🌿Say’s Spiketail is...
06/05/2026

Happy World Environment Day!
DYK Florida is home to more than 100 different species of dragonflies? 🌿

Say’s Spiketail is a threatened species of dragonfly found only in northern Florida and southeastern Georgia.

🔸This species is a habitat specialist that relies on shallow seepage streams found in dry, sandy landscapes like longleaf pine forests.

Biologists modeled habitat for Say’s Spiketail to help identify important conservation areas and better understand future risks to the species.

🔸As Florida’s landscape continues to change, this research can help guide conservation efforts for this unique dragonfly and the habitats it depends on.

Click the link in our bio to learn more! 🔗

📸 Photos: FWC

Calling all recreational anglers! 🎣There's still time to sign up for FWC's new pilot research program and get paid to fi...
06/03/2026

Calling all recreational anglers! 🎣
There's still time to sign up for FWC's new pilot research program and get paid to fish for science.

"Cast for Cash: It Pays to Fish for Science" invites private recreational anglers in the Tampa Bay region to record fishing trips using a camera temporarily installed on their boat.

In exchange for this data those selected will earn $250 per trip for up to 6 trips or $1,500 during a three-month research period.

To participate, anglers must...
🔸Hold a recreational fishing license with the State Reef Fish Angler designation.
🔸Live in a household that is in possession of a boat.
🔸Launch from the Tampa Bay region (Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee or Sarasota counties).
🔸Be 18 years or older and have no resource violations.

Applications are open! 📝
Click the link in our bio to learn more and apply today!

📸 Photo: FWC
Don’t forget to tag us in your fishing trips!

Tilapia Removal 🎣 🔹Since 2019, FWC and partners (from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection) have been hard...
06/01/2026

Tilapia Removal 🎣
🔹Since 2019, FWC and partners (from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection) have been hard at work to safely remove tilapia on the Silver River in Marion County.

After the success of removing over 2200 sailfin catfish from the Silver River in previous years, biologists are now focusing to blue tilapia, noted as the most abundant species on Silver River.

🔸It is believed that the abundance of tilapia is negatively impacting the native fish populations, especially Florida bass by interfering with spawning activities.

These removal events occur at night using electrofishing boats, focusing only on tilapia. So far biologists have performed 4 removal events, removing about 70 fish each time. 🐟

🔹By removing these fish biologists are hopeful that Florida’s native fish populations will begin to thrive and help these aquatic ecosystems recover and function properly.

📸 Photos: FWC

Address

100 8th Avenue SE
Saint Petersburg, FL
33701

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+17278968626

Website

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