It’s a crowning achievement as longtime Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) veterinarian, Dr. Charlie Manire, wraps up his career. To pay homage, LMC researchers named the two-thousandth sea turtle tagged with a Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT), “Manire.” This sea turtle holds great significance as it salutes one of the veterinary greats and continues Marine’s vision of learning about marine ecosystems through the species.
For nearly 50 years, Manire has built a well-respected and decorated career treating marine species. Since receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Veterinary Science and Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University, he has become a distinguished face in protecting animal welfare. One of the centerpieces of his career involved the development of Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), which is similar to IV nutrition and a custom mix of amino acids, fatty acids and sugars. This procedure minimizes the amount of time rehabilitating sea turtles stay out of water and gives them complete nutrition in fluid form, saving nearly 90 percent of chronically debilitated patients that would otherwise not survive.
Manire’s expertise also landed him as the lead author for the 1000-page published book, Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation. His contributions, among leading experts, have provided extensive information on the rescue, evaluation, care, and rehabilitation of sick and injured sea turtles at every stage of life.
“Dr. Charlie was essential to the development of 0ur Research Department,” said LMC Director of Research, Dr. Justin Perrault. “Through his mentorship, we have been inspired to grow programming and conduct key research projects on sea turtle biology and conservation. We hope that our continued efforts make him proud as he’s laid the foundation to a legacy in the marine science community.”
Looking ahead, the LMC research team will monitor the sea turtle that was tagged on August 3, 2021, just south of the Center. The nesting loggerhead had no prior tags, however, showed evidence of boat strike trauma to her posterior carapace with a healed scar measuring nearly 18 inches long and one inch wide. The samples collected from her while she was nesting will be used to explore overall health and disease prevalence.
This type of tag is about the size of a grain of rice and is similar to a microchip that would be placed in a dog or cat. The Center gains invaluable information from PIT and flipper tags as each turtle’s unique number and letter combination remains in the research database.
Visit the Center to wish Dr. Manire a happy retirement and visit marinelife.org to learn about the latest PIT findings from the tagged sea turtle!