Marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation: Evaluating conservation efforts through education

A study at Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA), located in Clearwater, Florida, was conducted to evaluate stranding organizations’ contributions to marine mammal conservation. To date, there has been no attempt to quantify the education services provided by rescue and rehabilitation facilities and their impact on conservation. This study evaluated CMA’s education efforts both quantitatively and qualitatively via questionnaire surveys. Changes in guests’ marine mammal knowledge and conservation-related behavior were investigated and data was collectively quantified using an impact score. The aquarium’s educational tools were examined to determine which were least and most info1mative to the general public. The study found that contributions to conservation via education, was negligible. These data revealed areas of improvement that can be optimized for future conservation efforts and impacts