CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE FOR THE PRESENCE OF MONK SEALS IN THE WEST-INDIES

Based on interviews with 93 fishermen in northern Haiti and Jamaica du ring 1997 an assessment was made of the likelihood that monk seals sur vive in this region of the West Indies. Fishermen were asked to select marine species brown to them from randomly arranged pictures: 22.6 pe r cent (n = 21) selected monk seals. This number was significantly (P < 0.001) greater than the number who selected control species (walrus, harbour seal, and sea-lion) that they were unlikely to have observed. However, it was not significantly different (n = 19, P > 0.1) from th e number who selected manatees, which are known to occur in the region ill small numbers. More than 95 per cent or respondents also identifi ed species that ave known to occur commonly in the region. Further que stioning of the 21 respondents who selected monk seals suggested that 16 (78 per cent) of them had seen at least one in the past 1-2 years. Those fishermen that were able to provide further descriptions gave in formation about size and colour that was consistent with many of these seals being monk seals. It is possible that the Caribbean monk seal i s not extinct.