Lion Fish in Cozumel

[ScubaTony]

This may be opening a big can O worms but I think it may open some ideas as well.
Most of you have heard about the Lion fish finally arriving here in Cozumel. They are native to the South Pacific, and by some error they found their way to Florida around 1992. Having few natural predators, they thrived and spread first north up the Atlantic coast then south into the Caribbean. A few months ago rumors started to spread about them being seen in Cozumel. On the 27th of Feb there was a specimen captured near Punta Sur by the marine park. It is official they are here. :shocked2:
Here is the issue; The non native Lion Fish will definitely affect the local species as they themselves are voracious predators and the local species have poor defenses against them. Apparently large grouper here are able to eat the venomous lion fish but to what degree is yet to be seen. If the marine park here begins a culling operation or allows trained Dive masters or locals to slow the spread, it would only really help on the west side of the island. The east side would become saturated as there would not be sufficient vigilance to keep the numbers down.
Picture this scenario: you are on a dive with your guide and other divers at Palancar, you spot a lion fish and everyone is pleased. The lion fish is actually a beautiful and interesting species, great for photo ops as they don't move very fast. Everyone moves in close, takes pictures and is generally pleased and happy to see such a colorful animal. Then when everyone is done, the dive master/guide takes out a small harpoon and kills it? Not good.
If we let them live, they will change the ecosystem here (to what degree we are not sure). If we kill them, we will not be stopping the problem as they will flourish on the east side anyway and constantly trickle around to the regularly dove areas. Perhaps we would see an increase in large grouper if they can indeed feed on them?
As caretakers of our reefs, this is a difficult issue. Humans constantly affect the environment no matter how good our intentions may be. We can study areas like the Bahamas where the fish has caused significant changes, for better or worse. We know that nature is constantly seeking balance in a very complex chain of life.
The question is, What can we truly do if anything to fix the problem?

 

[deborahdelamar]

Hi, Tony. Wish your question had an easy answer, but so far, it doesn't.

The biggest problem with lionfish in the areas they've already overrun (like the Bahamas, parts of Florida, the Caymans) is that they eat the juvenile groupers that might grow to be lionfish eaters. The dining options for predator fish in Coz are tremendous and no one knows how preferred lionfish are as a food source. We've joked about buying lionfish at the pet stores and training the groupers, but really....

So far, the number of lionfish in the Park seems to be very small. The Blue Angel fish was caught in January. Ricardo Madrigal found the second one last week. There haven't been any other sightings reported.

DNA from the two fish are being analyzed to see which known populations they're coming from. That will give everyone a better idea of where to look for lionfish in all of areas of the island. The Marine Park has every intention of eliminating the problem if it can. It has authorized you and the other folks who work there to capture or report so that Park divers can capture. As soon as more is known, I'm sure that there'll be a hunting expedition outside of the Park to see what's what.

I hope that we're lucky and ours are only incidentals. And I hope that the scientists discover a lionfish-only killer virus. That's about all any of us can really do at this stage...

 

[geokr]

This was a topic a month or so ago with almost the same title. Go to Page 3 of the Cozumel forum and you'll find 137 ideas, comments and other posts about this emerging problem. Fortunately, the local authorities in Cozumel are aware of this and it's potential as a problem and are actively pursuing solutions. What will be done as a permanent policy in the future is still being decided, but for now, it's up to the DMs to provide control of the population in the preserve. Having seen how the lionfish are overtaking other species in the Bahamas I would expect that that may have to change.

My opinion - the lionfish will establish themselves pretty much as they have done elsewhere unless there is some condition or native predator in the area that hasn't been found elsewhere. Don't think so. The effect on the park is yet to be seen but studies are underway across the Caribbean that will provide some clues. I personally believe a significant change in species will occur that could effect not only the dive operators but local fishermen as well.

To preserve the native species in the park an aggressive effort to control the lionfish will have to be undertaken and I feel that will be well beyond an occasional neutralization by passing DMs. Nor will an occasional lionfish meal by some unfortunate grouper solve the problem. I don't think the park is the place to take a "wait and see" approach. As the lionfish population increases around the island the park will become an oasis and it will only remain as it is if it can be kept clear of these predators. That's going to be a large effort, I think, and will require enlisting the help of the general diving population. As much as some may shudder to think of what a lot of divers with spears would be like, that type of effort could be a positive for dive operators if conducted and governed properly.

So, that's my 2 cents. Lionfish like Cozumel as much as you do - they're coming!

 

[ScubaTony]

Thanks for the input. I did a search on the topic before I posted but nothing came up under Cozumel Lion fish. I must have done the wrong search. I will go and look at the pages you mention geokr.
It is indeed a serious problem. I do trust that the marine park will make the right choices if there are any to be made. The folks there are true activist and believe completely in what they are doing. They are dedicated tree huggers (or reef huggers) for sure.
I could imagine lion fish taking root on the other side of the island and moving there way around the west side every now and then, then being captured around Maricaibo and Barracuda as the most commonly dove sites. WE would launch the occasional hunts on the east side to slow the population growth. too bad there is no market for them like there is for grouper. With the amount of divers in the water within the marine park I can imagine we could reasonably control the population there.
It's a big question for sure. I am hopeful for the big answers.

 

[jayjoans]

Interesting ideas. If there were 2 identical dive ops on the island, and one offered "lion fish tags" like a deer hunt using hawaiian slings, our group would be ALL OVER that op to dive and take our chances.

I'm not a hunter by nature, but in this instance I would gladly participate in the protection of the reef.

 

[geokr]

It's going to take a big answer to solve the problem, you're right. That may ultimately have to come from the scientific community but if and until that happens you're in Ft. Apache, pal, and you're being surrounded. You hearin' me, Custer? You need to figure out a way of keeping these predators at bay or there's every likelihood they're going to scour the reef clean. That ain't going to be good for business, neither for the dive operators who sell a pristine aquatic environment to dive in nor for the local fishermen who feed their families and the tourists. The use of Hawaiian slings by any qualified diver ought to be considered. They're relatively safe, it's easy to get within a few feet of a lionfish to use one and they present little to no danger to adjacent divers or to the reef. Properly counseled, the average diver can use them to help control the population should they come across a lionfish (you can bet they will in about 1-2 years) and "the thrill of the hunt" could be a draw for many divers - free help for protecting the reef, a dive promotion idea for the dive operators. I know I'm starting to sound like P.T. Barnum with this but you ought to consider it now rather than when it's too late. If leaving speared lionfish for the crabs is too much for the reef huggers you can bring 'em back and eat a lionfish as easy and with as much gourmet flair as any other fish. I like mine cajun style - careful when filleting them, though. Nothing is more important than having a plan, some kind of plan, when faced with a threat and Cozumel, like the rest of the Gulf Coast, has one with these non-native predators. The time to get creative is now.

 

[ScubaTony]

Wow! Like the way you think! Not sure about he repercussions of the aggressive plan. I do have to admit, as much as I am a reef hugger and I don't even eat any sea food, it could be an interesting spin on the diving activity here in Cozumel. It would be something new to spice up the dives that many long time Cozumel fans have grown accustomed. Diving Palencar with "protect the reef" in mind would be a great new activity in Cozumel. There would need to be an innocuous name for it so as not to offend, like: "poke a lion fish for fun" day or "Hawaiian sling-your new best friend".
Sorry. I Jest too much.. ....
Ill wait for the marine park to decide the best course of action...
I have watched the reefs bounce back beautifully since Wilma in 05. Palencar will survive the invasion of the lion fish as well.

 

[geokr]

I have watched the reefs bounce back beautifully since Wilma in 05. Palencar will survive the invasion of the lion fish as well.

Hope you're right. Don't think so if you let "Nature" decide this time. Or "Government". We'll see.

 

[betsyinczm]

Hey Tony-----I read on another forum (and do NOT know if it's true or not) that a pet store on 65 is selling lionfish??......based on what so many "pet" owners in CZM do with their "pets", I sure hope they don't end up being thrown into the sea!........do you know anything about this?.........(disclosure---may be BS but I'm still curious! as you know that ALL that you read on forums is of course true)..........Betsy

 

[Christi]

Tony...have you done your marine park renewal course yet? if you did it before the Lionfish showed up, you wouldn't have gotten this presentation...but I'm currently in the course (MUCH better than the old course they gave years ago BTW). Anyway, they are giving a full presentation on the Lionfish issue including educating about their history, introduction to this environment and what the current and future plans are for solving the problem. Also what the repercussions of not doing it the right way are.

Think about the wipe-out of sea urchins in Jamaica and what that did to the ecosystem....devastating...they now have algae reefs!

Running out the door..but I'll check this thread later!