Man fleeing officers charged with nine undersized lobster

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on September 3, 2021. Posted in Environment, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage, Upper Keys News, Wildlife.

A Miami Lakes man is facing a number of charges after reportedly fleeing from Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation investigators and possessing nine undersized wrung lobster tails. FWC Investigators Billy Thompson and Chris Mattson received a tip of an individual harvesting lobster without a dive flag near MM 95, oceanside. In plain clothes and on an unmarked vessel, investigators noticed the individual, later identified as Yordanky Casares Rosado, 37, snorkeling along the shoreline without a diver-down flag displayed. Yordanky Casares Rosado Mattson maneuvered the patrol vessel through...

Judge hands man jail time for undersized fish, spearfishing violations

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on August 26, 2021. Posted in Environment, Fishing, Monroe County News, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage, Upper Keys News, Wildlife.

A Hialeah man arrested in May for spearfishing in a restricted area and possessing an array of undersized fish will spend 60 days in jail, following a sentence handed down by Monroe County Judge Sharon Hamilton on Wednesday, Aug. 25. Not only will Alejandro Ruiz, 47, serve jail time, but he’ll also be on probation for two years and commit 240 hours of community service. His fishing license is also suspended for two years, and he can’t be on the water for the duration of his probation. Ruiz must also take a Florida Fish & Wildlife course. Monroe County State Attorney Office’s Jorge Jaile,...

DOLPHINS GET 40’S FLAB? DOLPHINS & HUMANS HAVE MORE IN COMMON THAN WE THOUGHT

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on August 23, 2021. Posted in Science, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage, Wildlife.

If you feel like your metabolism just isn’t what it used to be, no matter how many hours you spend in the gym, dolphins can relate. A Duke University-led study finds that bottlenose dolphins burn calories at a lower rate as they get older, just as we do. Dolphin Research Center, on Grassy Key, and Dolphin Quest, in Hawaii, collaborated on this research. It’s the first time scientists have measured an age-related metabolic slowdown in another large-bodied species besides humans, said author Rebecca Rimbach, postdoctoral associate in evolutionary anthropology at Duke. Rimbach has studied...

Hialeah man facing charges for possession of more than 30 lobster

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on August 17, 2021. Posted in Monroe County News, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage, Upper Keys News, Wildlife.

A Hialeah man is facing charges after Florida Fish & Wildlife officers discovered no registration and lobsters totaling more than 30. FWC Officers Jessica Diaz and Josh Stallings were conducting resource inspections at the Caribbean Club boat ramp in Key Largo during the early morning hours at 2 a.m on Aug. 17. Officers observed a vessel blacked out approaching the ramp without any visible navigation lights displayed. Officers observed the man, later identified as Giovanni Jesus Pirez, 36, retrieve his vehicle and back his trailer in the water. Diaz then conducted a vessel stop and a subsequent...

CONSERVATIONISTS & VETS JOIN FORCES TO SAVE FLORIDA KEYS’ SEA TURTLES

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on August 10, 2021. Posted in Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage, Wildlife.

The Turtle Hospital in Marathon has been treating sea turtles found near our shores with internal and external tumors for over 35 years. Now, for the first time, they’re collaborating with the veterans of Force Blue to organize a scientific study to understand why. “The Force Blue project is near and dear to my heart, as it is the first scientific research project I organized,” said Turtle Hospital manager Bette Zirkelbach. “At the Turtle Hospital, we collaborate on many scientific projects, but this one is in our backyard, looking at the health of the Florida Keys green sea turtle population.”...

READERS CAN FOLLOW THE JOURNEY OF A REHABILITATED TURTLE FROM MARATHON IN TOUR DE TURTLES

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on August 9, 2021. Posted in Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage, Wildlife.

The Turtle Hospital’s Bette Zirkelbach and Richie Morretti release Lucky Pulse before a record crowd at Sombrero Beach in Marathon. LARRY BENVENUTI/Contributed It’s been less than two weeks, but Lucky Pulse — from the Turtle Hospital in Marathon — hasn’t left the Keys. Lucky Pulse is part of the annual Tour de Turtles program sponsored by the Sea Turtle Conservancy where the animals are fitted with tiny transmitter satellite tags and released into the wild. The turtles are “racing” to see who can go the farthest while raising awareness about the challenges facing their survival. ...

ASK THE BIRD GEEK: ARE BIRDS REALLY JUST FANCY, LITTLE DINOSAURS?

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on July 30, 2021. Posted in Columns, Science, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage, Wild Things, Wildlife.

Are birds really just fancy little dinosaurs? — Bi-Residential Barry Yes! Yes, they are. I started to write about how all the birds we know can be traced to one ancient genus called archaeopteryx. They were these feathered dinosaur things, about the size of a crow, that could probably sorta fly. I mean, the whole point of doing an “Ask the Bird Geek” column is to answer a couple of quick bird questions off the top of my head without doing a lot of research. Because I’m trying to go on vacation. Because it’s been a long pandemic and I really need to go on a vacation road trip. Like,...

LEARNING LAWS DURING LOBSTER SEASON

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on July 29, 2021. Posted in Islamorada News, Key West News, Lower Keys News, Marathon News, Monroe County News, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage, Upper Keys News, Water Life, Wildlife.

Marine patrols from various law enforcement agencies conducted resource checks and safety inspections during a busy two-day lobster mini-season in the Florida Keys. With citations came education for those unfamiliar with the rules and regulations. Monroe County Sheriff’s marine deputies in the Upper Keys, Nelson Sanchez and Marty Digrus, departed from the Plantation Yacht Harbor dock in Islamorada for patrol on Thursday morning for day two of lobster mini-season. Sanchez has spent 20 of his 26 years with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office working on the water. Digrus has spent the past eight...

MANATEE DEATHS UP 150% ON MAINLAND CAN SERVE AS WARNING FOR FLORIDA BAY

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on July 24, 2021. Posted in Environment, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage, Wildlife.

To live in Florida, you must love manatees. They’re hopelessly awkward, adorably plump sea potatoes. And, although we’ve never hugged any (we promise — we know it’s illegal!), we find them extremely cuddly. If you’ve been following the news, you’ve probably heard about the terrible things happening to manatees up north. More of these marine mammals have died in 2021 than in any other year in Florida’s history — and it’s only July. As of the last Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) report, at least 841 manatees had died this year in Florida waters. The five-year...

Arrests made in Key Largo tarpon killing

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on July 19, 2021. Posted in Breaking News, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage, Upper Keys News, Water Life, Wildlife.

Two men have turned themselves into authorities after photos and video surfaced showing their alleged involvement in a tarpon killing in Key Largo in March. Law enforcement officials say they are still seeking another person in the case. Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission announced late last week the arrests of Arsenio Ravelo, 21, of Homestead, and Sergio Leon, 28, of Hialeah. In March, FWC investigators received photographs and video of a large tarpon being held by three individuals on a dock at Calusa Campground in Key Largo. FWC released an image of the three young males...

Category: Wildlife