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Old 10-18-2013, 08:07 PM   #1
kwtony
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Possible endangered species sighting...Caribbean Monk Seals

I thought some of you would find this interesting. A few days I was delivering a ski for a full day rental to a VERY nice private island called Melody Key( the old 311 band house) right in front of our ski rental on Summerland Key. The house has been showcased on Island Hunters, Travel Channel, and a few other tv shows. Chances are, some of you guys might have seen it. I was shocked to find out that the day before, at sunset, the entire family of 7 people witnessed at least half a dozen or more seals or otters swimming like crazy in the water. A friend of mine had a very interesting dicsussion a few months ago about her potentially seeing some, but was unsure ...fast forward to the other day, my customers said they saw at least six, but there could have been more. They were moving so quickly and sporadically they couldn't get an accurate figure. It looked as if they were playing but with intent, which leads me to believe they were feeding on a school of minnows or other bait. They said two came so close to their pier that they could have almost touched it. Everyone of the people was very sure at what they saw and I believed them very much. The property manager that has worked at that island for 26 years, has never seen or even heard of them....anyways...there might be a comeback for their species in the works, at least we know there is a small pod of them in the area. ...

I honestly think at one point earlier this years I had seen them as well. While in Kemp channel. My roommate and business partner Nichole were anchored eating lunch in the side of the channel and every few minuets i would see what was clearly a head pop out of the water and then go away almost as fast as it came. I saw it a handfull of times, and felt it was circling me, popping his head up a few more times. I wasnt sure what it was, and thought it could have been a Comoran , but thinking back, it certainly wasnt acting like one. The head was much too pronounced to be a bird...
I was hoping they got photos or a video, especially when one of the girls came out holding a nice Nikon. But it was almost too dark, they were moving too fast, and none had a real camera other then a cell phone. If it were only one person that claimed they saw it, i would be more skeptical. However, they were all very clear on what they saw . I sat there mid safety speech and was almost ....speechless ...I had to pick the ski up just before sunset and planned on staying out there till it went down, however they were tearing ass out there when i arrived, and i just came back from doing a 2 tank dive...So the chances of any wildlife coming over was slim. According to most articles, they say this species has not been seen since the early 1950s....which i think is pretty cool.

You can read some interetesing information about them here.
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/.../pinnipe...anmonkseal.htm


Any of you long time residents have any insight? Please share
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Old 10-18-2013, 08:14 PM   #2
chawk25
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Re: Possible endangered species sighting...Caribbean Monk Seals

Damn that's cool. So around that house with the blue roof as your heading into the Atlantic through kemp?
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Old 10-18-2013, 08:16 PM   #3
kwtony
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Re: Possible endangered species sighting...Caribbean Monk Seals

Yessir.

http://melodykey.com/your-stay.html?id=HAEUX9qg

They used to have this photo under thier ACTIVITIES section on their page...used to crack us up.


Last edited by kwtony; 10-18-2013 at 08:28 PM.
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Old 10-18-2013, 09:21 PM   #4
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Re: Possible endangered species sighting...Caribbean Monk Seals

Just be careful what you wish for.
If in fact they are Monk Seals in the area I'm sure
NOAA will develop more SPA areas free from
disturbing Jet Skis.
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Old 10-19-2013, 07:53 AM   #5
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Re: Possible endangered species sighting...Caribbean Monk Seals

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Originally Posted by underdogII View Post
Just be careful what you wish for.
If in fact they are Monk Seals in the area I'm sure
NOAA will develop more SPA areas free from
disturbing Jet Skis.
Look no further than the Children's Pool in San Diego...
Mike
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Old 10-19-2013, 08:15 AM   #6
stillinscrubs
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Re: Possible endangered species sighting...Caribbean Monk Seals

Monk seals are gone.

They were otters. Tons of them around and known to go from boat to boat looking in coolers for fish and other donations in some parts of Florida. Not afraid of people just know not to get too close.

Are you thinking of starting an ivory bill woodpecker search type party? Could earn you a phd like the guys at Cornell.....
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Old 10-19-2013, 09:12 AM   #7
kwtony
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Re: Possible endangered species sighting...Caribbean Monk Seals

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Monk seals are gone.

They were otters. Tons of them around and known to go from boat to boat looking in coolers for fish and other donations in some parts of Florida. Not afraid of people just know not to get too close.

Are you thinking of starting an ivory bill woodpecker search type party? Could earn you a phd like the guys at Cornell.....
I can accept that may be the case. However, you speak like these sightings are common in the keys. I've spoken with many long time residents, and fisherman who have never seen anything of the sorts in the keys, and neither have their fathers either. If it were a regular occorance I would not have thought twice about it. I'm hoping some of the other locals would chime in and see if they might have seen or know something. Id like to think there was a comback, Or we can just chalk this up as a regular otter..
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Old 10-19-2013, 11:28 AM   #8
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Re: Possible endangered species sighting...Caribbean Monk Seals

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Originally Posted by kwtony View Post
I can accept that may be the case. However, you speak like these sightings are common in the keys. I've spoken with many long time residents, and fisherman who have never seen anything of the sorts in the keys, and neither have their fathers either. If it were a regular occorance I would not have thought twice about it. I'm hoping some of the other locals would chime in and see if they might have seen or know something. Id like to think there was a comback, Or we can just chalk this up as a regular otter..
In the northern keys and the west coast of Florida they are a nuisance in some places. Try YouTube. I see reports in Facebook several times a year.


As to the guys who would like seals around, ask people in the PNW who fish how much they like them. The novelty wears off quickly with harbor seals. Whole marinas are lost to the sea lions.
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Old 10-19-2013, 05:33 AM   #9
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Re: Possible endangered species sighting...Caribbean Monk Seals

Interesting read, Tony, thanks.
Your link is broken though, it should be:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/...anmonkseal.htm
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Old 10-19-2013, 05:45 AM   #10
kwtony
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Re: Possible endangered species sighting...Caribbean Monk Seals

Wow thats quite a stretch, see a seal, and then BAM all of a sudden they ban jet skis...Jet skis are hand down 5 times safer for the environment then a boat could ever be, unless of course it was a row boat.. NOAA has documented proof of this. So Im not worried about that. That's lie saying because there are "endangered" Jew fish in the water, they should ban diving and fishing. The difference between the boat and the skis area was night and day. Not only do we not touch the bottom when we get in shallow skinny waters, but we acutally aerated the water and propagated growth. The boat killed and cut the bottom to shreds, while there as overgrowth in the skis area...


Thanksfor fixing the link nano.
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Old 10-19-2013, 07:31 AM   #11
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Re: Possible endangered species sighting...Caribbean Monk Seals

Quote:
Originally Posted by kwtony View Post
Wow thats quite a stretch, see a seal, and then BAM all of a sudden they ban jet skis...Jet skis are hand down 5 times safer for the environment then a boat could ever be, unless of course it was a row boat.. NOAA has documented proof of this. So Im not worried about that. That's lie saying because there are "endangered" Jew fish in the water, they should ban diving and fishing. The difference between the boat and the skis area was night and day. Not only do we not touch the bottom when we get in shallow skinny waters, but we acutally aerated the water and propagated growth. The boat killed and cut the bottom to shreds, while there as overgrowth in the skis area...


Thanksfor fixing the link nano.
Just saying,
I'm cool with jets skis. Looking at a house in BPK, realtor kept going on
about how nice the yard is "with" a fence around the whole house.
Seems it is grandfathered in and no more fences allowed expect maybe
a 10' by 20' dog run allowed. All because of another endangered animal the
Key Deer.
BPK is mostly all 25MPH on all roads except US1. I'm cool with the little Deer too. If you don't want to put up with the rules move somewhere else I guess.
Just saying and no its not a stretch I think.
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Old 10-19-2013, 09:07 AM   #12
kwtony
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Re: Possible endangered species sighting...Caribbean Monk Seals

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Originally Posted by underdogII View Post
Just saying,
I'm cool with jets skis. Looking at a house in BPK, realtor kept going on
about how nice the yard is "with" a fence around the whole house.
Seems it is grandfathered in and no more fences allowed expect maybe
a 10' by 20' dog run allowed. All because of another endangered animal the
Key Deer.
BPK is mostly all 25MPH on all roads except US1. I'm cool with the little Deer too. If you don't want to put up with the rules move somewhere else I guess.
Just saying and no its not a stretch I think.
Thanks for sharing your newfound knowledge of the big pine rules, I dont understand how any of it has to do with what I'm talking about but okay. I'm not moving anywhere and I don't don't know where any of that came from. All I can say, is to Stay out of the avenues...anyhow Lets try and get back on topic
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Old 10-19-2013, 10:18 AM   #13
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Re: Possible endangered species sighting...Caribbean Monk Seals

Huge size difference between a seal and an otter.
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Old 10-19-2013, 10:45 AM   #14
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Re: Possible endangered species sighting...Caribbean Monk Seals

I took an environmental class at the college and the professor was saying that back 150+ years ago there used to be either seals or otters here (can't remember which). It wouldn't surprise me if they ended up coming back. It seems like that happens with other fish species as well in the Keys, especially pelagics like YFT. They will be here for 10 years or so, disappear for another 20 and come back. I personally think it would be pretty cool to have seals or otters here in the Keys.
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Old 10-20-2013, 12:57 AM   #15
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Re: Possible endangered species sighting...Caribbean Monk Seals

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I personally think it would be pretty cool to have seals or otters here in the Keys.
you know who's gonna be following small marine mammals if they come the the keys dont You?
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