King's Beach Lionfish dive report. 10/22

[ScubaSarus]

Actually we spotted one and reported it to NOAA last year in Narrangasset. They are nice to see. They did confirm it was the northernmost spotting of a lionfish at that time. You can find the post about it. Too bad we didnt film it but these pictures are of much bigger lionfish and are spectacular pictures that belong in a dive magazine. Good job guys.

 

[ThatsSomeBadHatHarry]

I have a picture of one from August 06. notice how much smaller.

 

[RIOceanographer]

There was a lionfish caught there a month or so during a tropical fish hunt with the New England Aquarium Club. This was the first " Documented " red lionfish in New England.

Not that it really matters, but to back up what the others are saying, it wasn't the first documented sighting or even the first capture. Paula Whitfield at NOAA is one of the main researchers studying the spread of lionfish on the US East Coast and she had at least 3 earlier documented sightings reported to her from RI. Someone didn't do their homework before writing that article.

Scubasarus, Mstudley and I reported one to NOAA (as stated above) back in 2005. ThatsSomeBadHatHarry and I reported a second one on August 12th 2006 with several photographs (one of which he just posted). And another Scubaboarder (divedivediver) even captured one in August and reported it to one of Paula's colleagues, Jon Hare at NOAA. You can find threads about all of these sightings in the New England Lobstah Divahs.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=110917&highlight=Lionfish
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=154501&highlight=Lionfish
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=153819&page=2&highlight=Lionfish

 

[scubadobadoo]

And we are spotting them regularly in Quuens, NY as well at Beach 8th St. I watched a small one back a very large fluke down. Agressive little guys!

 

[ScubaSarus]

Great clarification Chris. I see you guys are having a blast out there and taking some of the best photos Ive ever seen be it magazine or on a documentary. I regret not coming out more to join you guys but my buddy who just got cert is a great diver from Germany and did all his certs at the quarry and we plan on going out there after Nov 4.

Take care and keep up the good work.

 

[crosing]

And we are spotting them regularly in Quuens, NY as well at Beach 8th St. I watched a small one back a very large fluke down. Agressive little guys!

Sounds like they be adapting to the cold water!

 

[countryboy]

Great pics guys....

 

[ScubaSarus]

snip

"Sounds like they be adapting to the cold water!"

Well there is a protein that cold water sea life produces to help them survive the cold waters of BC. If by chance they have a mutated gene or they have the gene already and its suddenly become highly active, maybe they can survive the cold waters. Maybe someone genetically modified one of these fish to make the new protein so they can survive up here. Just wierd that the one we saw last year was the size of my thumbnail and these are much bigger.

If we can make a mouse that glows in the dark, anything is possible. I'll bring this up to my proff today.

 

[RIOceanographer]

Sounds like they be adapting to the cold water!

Juvenile tropical species in general (not just lionfish) are common sight in Southern New England in the period from August-October because the eggs and larvae of these species catch a one way ride up the coast with the Gulfstream and then settle out in our waters which are pretty warm during the summer months.

Lionfish die at water temperatures around 10 degrees C, (50 degrees F). The water temps are still around 16-17 degrees C so they can probably last a few weeks longer, but they can't survive our winter temperatures.

It is generally thought that adult Lionfish remain close to the location they settle (ie they don't migrate over distances), which means that the ones we see here are probably going to die rather than escape to warmer waters for the winter. Next summer they will likely be replaced by a fresh batch of juveniles that hitched a ride up the gulf stream, but you shouldn't see a resident adult population taking hold in these waters.

 

[mstudley]

Wish I could have been there... It snowed about 6" in VT while we were there over the weekend.... I think I'm beginning to forget what the ocean looks like