A Lion of a Problem

As everyone in the dive world is aware, there is a problem with lionfish in the Caribbean.  This voracious eater was accidentally released into the waters of the Atlantic and has been wreaking havoc ever since.  The lionfish was able to gain a fin hold in this new environment quite easily.   With poisonous spines protruding from its sides to discourage predators from making a snack of them, and a hypnotic dance that mesmerizes its prey while the hunter closes in for the kill, they are pretty much able to decimate reefs without a worry.  Dive operators and concerned conservationists have been brainstorming to develop some plan to restore balance to the reef ecosystem but it always seems that human interference, while possibly solving one problem, usually creates a new one.

On our recent trip to Cayman Brac, I found it fascinating how friendly the grouper were, swimming right up to divers, allowing them to be petted.  Waiting for us each time we descended, the piscine pets followed us along the wall like dogs on a walk.  In areas where the coral heads were separated by sandy areas, the grouper set up “neighborhoods,” and if a grouper from one coral head continued with the dive group to the next coral head, he would be confronted by neighboring fish and chased away, back to his own territory.  It didn’t take long to figure out why they behaved this way.  Our divemasters, trained and encouraged to hunt lionfish, brought a spear on every dive.  Divers would point out a lionfish and the invader would be good as toast. (Or should I say sushi?)   As the divemaster lined up his shot, the fish would gather like spectators in the coliseum.  Once the fish was dispatched, it was taken off the spear and left for the grouper, triggerfish, or whatever fish were around to take advantage of a free meal.    

It was fun at first to interact with the fish in such a way, their usual timid behavior transformed into a new openness.  However, it is one thing if the grouper are begging for a free meal, but what about other animals?  On one of the sites we visited, there was an enormous green moray.  I mean a monster!  In fact I spotted him on the reef 60ft below while on my safety stop and thought at first he was a shark!  The divemaster told us that he is really careful to look out for him when he spears lionfish because this guy will take the fish right off the spear without a shred of trepidation.  He also volunteered that on Little Cayman, they no longer spear in the marine park during  diving tours because the sharks were catching on that they could perhaps get a tasty lionfish snack if they joined the dive group!  Divers tend to get a little nervous when sharks are acting too friendly, and imagine what would happen if a tourist, camera trained on the lionfish-divemaster interaction came between a shark and his snack?  

Another thing to ponder would be what happens when a grouper starts following a diver that is spearing something other than lionfish?  Instead of getting a meal, he may become the meal.

On other Caribbean islands, they hold spearing competitions and lionfish barbeques, teach lionfish hunting courses, and encourage the serving of lionfish at local restaurants, but none of these plans  is entirely successful, and there is likely no perfect solution.  In any case, man introduced the lionfish where it did not belong, and man is attempting to correct this problem.  Let’s just hope that a new problem is not created in the process.

That is it for this week.  As always, share the blog, like you on Facebook and leave a comment to let us know what you think of the blog and suggestions for the future.  Until next week, Cheers!