Dolphin Research Center (DRC), based in Grassy Key, Florida, has reported a significant increase in manatee rescues in the Florida Keys for 2025. By May of this year, the organization’s Manatee Rescue Team had already surpassed the total number of rescues conducted throughout 2024.
The DRC is the only licensed manatee rescue team operating in the Florida Keys. The team works closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and relies on medical guidance from Dr. Scott Gearhart, DRC’s in-house veterinarian. When manatees are found injured or sick, they are transported to authorized rehabilitation facilities until they recover enough to be released back into their natural habitat.
Preston Surrage, who serves on both the Manatee Rescue Team and Environmental Services at DRC, described his experiences: “Every rescue matters, because every manatee matters,” said Surrage. “I’ve stood in the water with manatees barely moving, helped carry them into transport vehicles, and waited in the shallows during releases to see them swim free again. Those moments stay with you forever and remind you why we do this.”
Community involvement has played a key role in supporting these rescue operations. Local residents have provided resources such as boats, kayaks, private ramps, sunscreen, water, and have kept watch over distressed animals until help arrived.
“This is what makes the Keys so special,” Surrage added. “It’s a community that comes together—not just for people, but for animals too. Every act of kindness makes a real difference.”
The Dolphin Research Center operates as a nonprofit organization and depends on donations, memberships, and visitor support to continue its work rescuing marine mammals. For more information or to contribute to their efforts protecting manatees and other marine life through education and research programs since its founding in 1984, visit www.dolphins.org.
