Tag Archives: Florida Keys

Migrant rafters rescued by 2 cruise ships

Two cruise ships have rescued migrant rafters off the Florida Keys.

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Mark Barney said that the Disney Wonder and the Carnival Conquest both spotted “rustic vessels” in separate incidents Friday afternoon.

According to a Carnival statement, the Conquest picked up 13 Cuban nationals about 40 miles from Key West. The ship was expected to rendezvous with a Coast Guard cutter near Key West to transfer them.

A Disney statement says the Wonder picked up eight people about 45 miles from Key West, but their nationality wasn’t immediately known. The company was working with the Coast Guard to determine its next steps.

Crews on both ships provided their new passengers with food, water and medical attention. No injuries or deaths were reported.

It wasn’t immediately known what would be done with the migrants, but Barney said undocumented, non-U.S. citizens heading toward American waters are usually repatriated to their home countries.

From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/national/~3/Ywl0Ia4EUpQ/

Two-Headed Bull Shark Fetus Found Near Florida Keys Has Rare Case Of ‘Axial Bifurcation’

By The Huffington Post News Editors

By: Douglas Main, OurAmazingPlanet Staff Writer
Published: 03/25/2013 01:40 PM EDT on LiveScience

When a fisherman caught a bull shark recently off the Florida Keys, he came across an unlikely surprise: One of the shark’s live fetuses had two heads.

The fisherman kept the odd specimen, and shared it with scientists, who described it in a study published online today (March 25) in the Journal of Fish Biology. It’s one of the very few examples of a two-headed shark ever recorded — there about six instances in published reports — and the first time this has been seen in a bull shark, said Michael Wagner, a study co-author and researcher at Michigan State University.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post

Wife says Iowa man missing in Florida Keys lacks 'boating skills'

A man from Davenport, Iowa, is missing following a boating trip in the Florida Keys.

Monroe County Sheriff‘s officials say 49-year-old Mark Polaschek didn’t return Friday from a sailboat trip off Key Largo.

Sheriff’s officials say the man’s wife told them he wasn’t an experienced boater, but insisted on going out on their sailboat. When he didn’t show up six hours later, she reported him missing to the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The boat was found the next morning. Authorities said there were no obvious signs of foul play onboard.

Polaschek’s wife told deputies she didn’t like boating with him because she was afraid of his “lack of boating skills.”

The couple and their 6-year-old son were vacationing in Key Largo.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

Bottlenose dolphin leaders more likely to lead relatives than unrelated individuals

Traveling into uncharted territory in search of food can be a dangerous undertaking, but some bottlenose dolphins may benefit by moving through their habitat with relatives who may be more experienced or knowledgeable. It turns out that leaders in bottlenose dolphin groups in the Florida Keys are more likely to be related to the dolphins that follow them, according to research published March 13 by Jennifer Lewis and colleagues from Florida International University. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org