The Unintended Consequences of Hunting Lionfish

[drrich2]

My anecdotal experience from 25 dives over a week in May off the Cayman Aggressor IV (trip report) amounts to this:

1.) I saw shockingly few lion fish.

2.) Someone grabbed one with some sort of tongs, held it up and a Nassau grouper ate it. I don't think it had been speared. Annoyed a diver who was trying to take a picture of the lion fish.

3.) Reef shark encounters tended to involve a single shark, maybe 4 - 5 feet long, coming around in our vicinity, making some fairly slow passes around, then leaving. Close enough for some decent photos, but not getting in our personal space, bumping people, etc... I believe the sharks associated divers as a possible food source, but they didn't come in urgently, intrusively, or in numbers. The nurse sharks didn't approach us; they laid still or moved away. I don't recall anyone complaining of an aggressive eel encounter.

I'd say somebody, probably varied dive op. staff, have been doing some serious lion fish elimination on popular Cayman islands reefs.

Richard.

 

[Steve_C]

Last year while diving off east Cayman I saw several lionfish speared with a pole spear. But the DM always stuck the lionfish into a small cave or under a coral head. They said that way the fish would be found during normal feeding and not be linked to divers.

Sharks are smart when it comes to finding food. They quickly learn that the sounds of a spear gun can mean food.

 

[gearbow]

Without knowing all the facts I have to imagine knowing what i know about curious Green morays eels are never aggressive , unless potentially if there is fish blood or oil on the diver BCD pockets hands even spear tip. Or.... Mating season - (territorial).

Curiosity is very often mistaken for aggression even by dive masters and experienced divers. i.e. swimming purposefully at a divers outstretched camera or hand. I have had this happen too many times to count I always hold my ground or back away slowly. Never panic, keep your trim and never wave your hands as if to push it away ( you have just mimicked the waving of a fresh piece of fish, this is where you can now expect a bite or a change in behavior.

Green Eels are very tolerant of other species that don't present a threat even prey items such as lobster and crab. Nurse sharks and groupers I often find resting together.
Of course if you have the sent or oil of a fish on your body, you may experience a bite ( keep your hands still and tightly gripped together in this case.)

..... all things being said and like a previous post states they are one of the apex predators on the reef and like all wild animals caution should be the rule with all divers. especially new divers. I have seen normally docile animals be quite aggressive during mating season.


They are predators make no mistake-- My video of one hunting a lobster.