Bonaire Lionfish Capture Video

[diverbart]

The Bonaire Marine park now has a special button on their website concerning the lion fish invasion. At STINAPA - Bonaire National Marine Park it has a button ' we need your help' At Wannadive Bonaire - shoredive, boatdive, rental, a - welcome @ Wannadive we have a forum topic (thread) on lion fish started by jetwrench (smack), I believe under general bubbles.

 

[agilulfo]

scubadobadoo,

Sounds like you had a good time. Now that Pasa Bon Pizza has received the "NYC pizza snob" seal of approval, I am going to have to try it next time I'm in Bonaire. :eat:

diverbart,

Thank you for the update. It sounds like STINAPA is pulling all the stops. Here is a direct link to the thread you mentioned: WannaBubbles - Lion fish.

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[diverbart]

Thanks agilulfo, I suck on computer stuff.....

 

[gert7to3]

I was down there too last week...20 dives......PBD bigtime, now.

We saw a lionfish at Small Wall whilst on a Divi boat dive. Here are some pictures of an attempt to capture the beastie. It was really small, but they are voracious feeders. I don't see much hope for this situation. These things are breeding elsewhere and drifting onto Bonaire. There is no way they can be controlled. Especially since lionfish will take up residence along a broad range of depths. They will become present everywhere on Bonaire's reef system, including places rarely dived.

 

[diverbart]

Gert I agree, there is little chance to wipe them out. However, to try and keep the population as small as possible might avoid the horrible depletion of fish life such as happened in the bahama's where as much as 70 % of the resident reeffish population has dissapeared. Who knows, in time maybe better management is possible..................

 

[agilulfo]

Here are some pictures of an attempt to capture the beastie.

Was the attempt successful?

 

[gert7to3]

Agilulfo, no we missed it. Those things can really scoot. It laggered up under a barrel and we couldn't pry it out. Also the DM was being careful. You don't want to grab a handful of one of those things. It seemed to me that a net on a handle would be a better solution. Or maybe a slurp gun.

In the video it looked like the park diver was using some sort of anesthetic solution. Also in the video, whomever was there in the early segment, was dragging his camera against the reef.

 

[agilulfo]

Also in the video, whomever was there in the early segment, was dragging his camera against the reef.

That was my buddy...

 

[diverbart]

Ramon, the BNMP manager assures us there is no anesthetic, but only water and air in those bottles to make 'em come out a bit
FYI

 

[gert7to3]

Diverbart, I was not being critical of the way the park staff member was trying to catch the lionfish. Seems to me that a little poof of anesthetic, into the face of a lionfish, might be the best way to subdue one. Those park people have their work cut out for them with this lionfish problem. Whatever approach they take is certainly more informed than anything I know about.

I seriously subscribe to the practice of no contact with the reef.