Florida Manatee Research and Recovery Act

To authorize research and recovery activities to provide for the protection, conservation, and recovery of the Florida manatee, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Florida Manatee Research and Recovery Act 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Florida manatee The term Florida manatee (2) Secretary The term Secretary 3. Manatee research and recovery (a) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall begin to carry out research and recovery activities specific to Florida manatee populations in the United States. (b) Requirements The research and recovery activities under subsection (a) shall— (1) be informed by— (A) the prioritized research and recovery recommendations of— (i) the Florida Manatee Recovery Plan (Trichechus manatus latirostris) Third Revision, published by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and dated October 30, 2001, or any subsequent revision published after the date of enactment of this Act; and (ii) any other recovery, research, or conservation plan that supersedes or supplements the plan referred to in clause (i), adopted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service after the date of enactment of this Act in accordance with applicable law; (B) the research and recovery recommendations of the State of Florida and other States, the waters of which serve as Florida manatee habitat; and (C) the research and recovery recommendations of the Marine Mammal Commission under section 4; (2) include— (A) monitoring, analyzing, and assessing Florida manatee population demographics, health, causes of mortality, and life history parameters, including range-wide population surveys; and (B) developing and implementing measures to mitigate or eliminate factors that limit Florida manatee recovery, including factors relating to marine ecosystem health and to human activity; and (3) comply with the prohibitions and permitting requirements of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1531 16 U.S.C. 1361 4. Marine Mammal Commission recommendations Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Marine Mammal Commission shall recommend to the Secretary such steps as the Commission considers necessary or desirable for the protection, conservation, and recovery of Florida manatee populations in the United States. 5. Florida manatee research and recovery grants (a) In general The Secretary shall establish a peer-reviewed, merit-based process to award competitive grants for— (1) research regarding Florida manatees; and (2) recovery activities that assist in or promote the protection, conservation, and recovery of Florida manatees. (b) Peer review panel The Secretary shall establish as necessary a peer review panel to provide scientific advice and guidance in prioritizing proposals for grants under this section. (c) Research grant subjects Research funded by grants awarded under this section— (1) shall be in accordance with the research recommendations under section 3; and (2) may include research on topics such as— (A) causes of Florida manatee mortality; (B) Florida manatee demographics and natural history; (C) sources and effects of poor water quality on Florida manatees, including pollutants, nutrients, and toxicants; (D) methods and mechanisms to address the sources and effects described in subparagraph (C); (E) sources and effects of diseases and parasites affecting Florida manatees; (F) limitations on the availability of food resources for Florida manatees and the impacts of food limitation on Florida manatee carrying capacity; (G) interactions between Florida manatees and human activities in the marine environment; (H) assessment of the ecological role of Florida manatees in coastal marine ecosystems, including as it may pertain to human welfare, resource use, and ecosystem services; (I) assessment of the adequacy of response and contingency plans for emergencies involving Florida manatees; and (J) assessment of the impacts of climate change on Florida manatees. (d) Recovery grant subjects Recovery activities funded with grants under this section— (1) shall be conducted in accordance with— (A) the recovery recommendations under section 3; and (B) the findings of the research conducted under this section; and (2) may include activities— (A) to protect, conserve, and recover Florida manatees; (B) to reduce, mitigate, or eliminate potential factors limiting Florida manatee populations that are related to human activities, including— (i) factors contributing to mortality, adversely affecting health, or restricting distribution and abundance; and (ii) factors that harm or reduce the quality of Florida manatee habitat or the health of coastal marine ecosystems; and (C) to implement emergency response and contingency plans. 6. Report to Congress The Secretary shall— (1) not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives (A) the status of Florida manatee populations; (B) the research and recovery activities under this Act; (C) the grant review and award process authorized by this Act; and (D) any relevant formal consultations conducted during the 2 years preceding the date of enactment of this Act, and any other consultations the Secretary determines to be relevant, under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1536 (2) not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives (A) an evaluation of— (i) Florida manatee health; (ii) causes of Florida manatee mortality; and (iii) the interactions of Florida manatees with coastal and inland aquatic ecosystems; (B) an evaluation of actions taken— (i) to improve Florida manatee health; (ii) to reduce Florida manatee mortality; and (iii) to improve and protect Florida manatee habitat; (C) recommendations for actions that may be taken under current law— (i) to improve Florida manatee health; (ii) to reduce the occurrence of human-related Florida manatee mortality; and (iii) to improve the health of the coastal marine ecosystems that serve as Florida manatee habitat; (D) recommendations for funding to carry out this Act; and (E) a description of any formal consultations that the Secretary determines to be relevant to the research and recovery activities authorized by this Act conducted in accordance with section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1536 7. Authorization of appropriations (a) In general There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the provisions of this Act $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022. (b) Administrative expenses Of the amounts made available each fiscal year under subsection (a), the Secretary may expend not more than the greater of 7 percent of the amounts or $150,000 to pay the administrative expenses incurred carrying out this Act.

Summary: Florida Manatee Research and Recovery Act This bill requires the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to begin to carry out research and recovery activities specific to Florida manatee populations, the subspecies Trichechus manatus latirostris, in the United States. The Marine Mammal Commission must recommend to the USFWS steps for the protection, conservation, and recovery of the populations. In addition, the USFWS must establish a peer-reviewed, merit-based process to award competitive grants for: (1) research regarding Florida manatees; and (2) recovery activities that assist in or promote their protection, conservation, and recovery. Within two years, the USFWS must report on: (1) the status of Florida manatee populations, (2) research and recovery activities, (3) the manatee grant review and award process, and (4) relevant consultations conducted under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) with respect to the Florida manatee. Within three years, and every five years thereafter, the USFWS must report on (1) the status of the Florida manatees' health, mortality, and habitat; (2) actions taken to improve their health, reduce their mortality, and improve and protect their habitat; (3) recommendations for actions that may be taken under current law for improving their health, reducing their mortality due to humans, and improving and protecting their habitat; (4) recommendations for funding to carry out this bill; and (5) relevant consultations conducted under the ESA.