lionfish in Cozumel

[firstdive2005]

Come on, FD, don't be condescending. .

Sorry cvchief it isnt the first time I have written a post that was not received the way I intended. Please accept my apology. I totally was trying just to explain my point. As I reread it, it does seem I could have rephrased. Sorry dude, I owe ya a tank.

 

[firstdive2005]

I dont know how many know this but a dm for Christie was hit and it took him out for a couple days, messing with these little buggers is nasty work. To watch some take them out looks easy but I WARN those that have never stabbed at anything underwater to practice at home in pool before you even attempt this. I was stung ever so gently on my middle finger for two hours I felt like I hit it with a hammer.

 

[geokr]

I know that people do not like it when I call REEF fish huggers but it is how I feel. Just because their members kill lionfish does not mean that that is the direction from REEF - I will not credit the organization just because a member(s) takes the appropriate action that the organization chooses not to suggest. Perhaps I have missed it but everything on their website states very clearly that the appropriate action for a diver to follow when they see a lionfish is to to fill out a form and submit it. I am saying fine....submit a form if you want but kill the lionfish first (if you can safely do so). Why let it take another day or two worth of reef fish for no reason? If they are doing more than what their site says, then good for them but they really should market themselves better. I would have more respect for the organization if I believed that this was actually the direction of the organization and not just a bunch of their members.

Just my $0.02 and YMMV

REEF is NOT chartered to kill lionfish or anything else that upsets the balance of Nature. They study the ocean environment and those studies will ultimately remove more lionfish than anybody or group will with spears. You wouldn't even know why to stick them if it wasn't for REEF telling you why, you'd just be saying "Look....a lionfish, damn what's that doing here....pretty tho...." Give them a break.

 

[Scott L]

REEF is NOT chartered to kill lionfish or anything else that upsets the balance of Nature. They study the ocean environment and those studies will ultimately remove more lionfish than anybody or group will with spears. You wouldn't even know why to stick them if it wasn't for REEF telling you why, you'd just be saying "Look....a lionfish, damn what's that doing here....pretty tho...." Give them a break.

Anything on their drawing board or just speculation?

 

[Hockeynut]

REEF is NOT chartered to kill lionfish or anything else that upsets the balance of Nature. They study the ocean environment and those studies will ultimately remove more lionfish than anybody or group will with spears. You wouldn't even know why to stick them if it wasn't for REEF telling you why, you'd just be saying "Look....a lionfish, damn what's that doing here....pretty tho...." Give them a break.

Don't hold your breath.

 

[ScubaSteve]

REEF is NOT chartered to kill lionfish or anything else that upsets the balance of Nature. They study the ocean environment and those studies will ultimately remove more lionfish than anybody or group will with spears. You wouldn't even know why to stick them if it wasn't for REEF telling you why, you'd just be saying "Look....a lionfish, damn what's that doing here....pretty tho...." Give them a break.

There will be no "giving them a break" by me for all the reasons I have stated. We shall agree to disagree.

 

[Scott L]

REEF is NOT chartered to kill lionfish or anything else that upsets the balance of Nature. They study the ocean environment and those studies will ultimately remove more lionfish than anybody or group will with spears. You wouldn't even know why to stick them if it wasn't for REEF telling you why, you'd just be saying "Look....a lionfish, damn what's that doing here....pretty tho...." Give them a break.

That's is fine. However, they should not discourage folks from culling the increasing menace if capable...

 

[firstdive2005]

I support REEF with a donation, I really like their identification site. I also like the fact they are trying to be a voice. They are examining the habitat of the fish and the populations. This leads to environmental issues and trying to help the affected areas get info on what to do. This is good.
In the meantime I'm gonna kill lionfish cause I know now that there aren't any house creatures killing them. After they study the area, which is good, they will tell us that the general population is down but it seems that on the west side of Cozumel for some reason the fish population seems a little higher than other area of reef infected with lionfish.

 

[DandyDon]

Sorry cvchief it isnt the first time I have written a post that was not received the way I intended. Please accept my apology. I totally was trying just to explain my point. As I reread it, it does seem I could have rephrased. Sorry dude, I owe ya a tank.

Haha yeah you seem that way at times. I just accepted it was your style to seem that way at least, whatever you really meant. Typing ideas is really not for amateurs huh?

I have to wonder how many have me on ignore, but oh well.

I dont know how many know this but a dm for Christie was hit and it took him out for a couple days, messing with these little buggers is nasty work. To watch some take them out looks easy but I WARN those that have never stabbed at anything underwater to practice at home in pool before you even attempt this. I was stung ever so gently on my middle finger for two hours I felt like I hit it with a hammer.

One researcher who'd been stuck a few times finally had an episode where he was tempted to cut his hand off. Could have developed a reaction with repeated hits, or just took a harder hit, or took a hit with more toxin. Wonder if the Reef Huggers have info on how much and how strong the toxin varies?

 

[TheUWPhotographer.com]

There are a couple of new babies in front of Scuba Club Cozumel. This one was about 1" in size. The DMs here routinely scour the area to remove them from the reef because they kill all the other juvenile fish.