I am happy to report that “something” is eating lionfish off Bonaire

[WoodyLompoc]

We were enjoying a nice night dive at Windsock last week, watching a large snapper use our lights to hunt and seeing it take at least three fish. (The tang may have found it less enjoyable than we did.) We can not say for sure that it was the snapper, but we came across the head of a large lionfish, still twitching.

As it was about an hour after sunset, there were plenty of large predators in the area, mostly snapper and grouper and at least one large eel, so the lionfish may have been killed by any of several species. It is just nice to know that something is killing them.

 

[DeputyDan]

Grouper love them !!!

Its amazing how wide a grouper can open its mouth to inhale a whole lion fish or anything else around!

 

[DiverVince]

That indeed would be excellent news! Anyone visiting Bonaire, PLEASE do NOT ever order grouper if you see it on a restaurant menu. These fish belong on the reef, not on a dinner plate.

 

[Barb729]

That's great news, can't wait to see it for myself in 3 1/2 weeks.

 

[Deac in the Wake]

If you ever get the chance to feed a lionfish to a lobster, it's "must see." You really get a perspective for how skillfully a lobster can be at taking care of its prey.

 

[akirawut]

When we were there last, the friend we were visiting had an ELF. He was feeding the lionfish he was catching to the yellowtail snapper, which would then follow us around waiting for more handouts.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

Shouldn't we be impaling the tarpons in Bonaire too? On my night dives, much of the place is a desert with nary a life around. Seems to be due to some tarpons that just follows us around and snatching any fish that is not smart enough to jump out of our torch's line of sight.

 

[DiverVince]

Shouldn't we be impaling the tarpons in Bonaire too? On my night dives, much of the place is a desert with nary a life around. Seems to be due to some tarpons that just follows us around and snatching any fish that is not smart enough to jump out of our torch's line of sight.

No comparison between Tarpon & the LF. Your thinking process makes me nervous!

 

[ronski101]

The power of the death ray is awsome. We have seen large grouper, carib reef sharks and eel eat lion fish in the last 2 years at Bonaire, Little Cayman and Utila. These were DM "prepared" for consumption but still alive.

 

[doctormike]

Took this shot in Turks this year... Dave, the owner of Provo Turtle Divers, is a Lionfish spearing machine. The grouper on this reef are well fed.