On the Hunt

This afternoon I joined one of the faculty on a Lionfish hunt. The Lionfish is a species of fish not native to the Atlantic and Caribbean, but nonetheless has been thriving. They have no natural predators because of their highly poisonous spines, but also (according to an article I read online) potential predators don't seem to recognize them as food because of their odd appearance. This also, apparently, allows them to swim right up to their unsuspecting prey and gobble them up (though I'm skeptical that other fish wouldn't learn to be wary of them, in the same way that Hogfish in areas where spearfishing is allowed are very wary of divers, but aren't bothered by them in areas where it's restricted).

Lionfish

Lionfish can now be found from the Caribbean to North Carolina. What has ecologists worried is that DNA testing shows that the untold thousands (millions?) of invasive Lionfish that exist in Atlantic waters appear to be descended from just 6 or 7 original females, which means they are multiplying extremely quickly. One theory is that 6 of the original fish came from an aquarium in Biscayne Bay, Florida that was toppled over during Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Others speculate that they could have been released from the aquariums of exotic fish owners who could no longer keep them.

When we went out looking for the Lionfish here, I hadn't done any of the research above, so I didn't have any information on which to form a stance on their eradication. And I hadn't taken any time to consider what my involvement in killing these fish would be. I was just going along to observe, learn about the problem, and enjoy the snorkel. Almost immediately after arriving at the location where a Lionfish had been sighted, I found myself staring one down with a net in my hand.

We first stopped at the near-end of Long Cay, near the Shark Alley buoy, to check a spot where there had been a sighting several days ago. Because this wasn't actually our destination, Ben (the faculty member leading the hunt) didn't moor the boat. He just had us jump in to check quickly before moving on. Right away, however, I spotted one. It was under a small ledge about 10 feet down, and was actually inverted sitting motionless against the reef above it. I called out to the others and told them to come over. The students aren't allowed to be directly involved in catching them because of the risk associated with handling such a poisonous fish. And Ben couldn't leave the boat without it being moored, so the next thing I knew, they were handing me the net and expecting me to catch it. So much for any ethical concerns I might have had, they were counting on me.


The objective was simple; dive down, scoop it up, and return to the boat. I was under the impression that the "scooping" would relatively simple. Lionfish aren't exactly afraid of anything because nothing really messes with them. I had been told that they don't really try to get away, so I swam down directly at it. This, it turns out, is not the best approach. First of all, I was dramatically slowed by the drag created by the net (which is more like a thick shopping bag than an actual net). And second, it turns out that even Lionfish are a little fearful of human snorkelers coming at them and sticking nets in their faces. It immediately swam down to about double the depth and backed in under an over hanging reef. I was a bit surprised by how quickly it moved; they don't exactly look arrow dynamic. I came up for air and then made a second attempt. And a third attempt. And a fourth. Now it was hopeless. I'm not a very good breath-hold diver, and it was backing farther and farther into the reef. I told Ben he'd need to go moor the boat and swim over if there was any chance of getting it. He can hold his breath for at least double what I can, but he had no luck either. It was this Lionfish's lucky day.

What made today's hunt so enjoyable, wasn't as much our attempts at netting a Lionfish, but rather the snorkeling we did looking for them. On the way back to the boat after the first failed attempt, we came across three Eagle Rays. They were swimming right at me, all in unison. I don't think they saw us at first because after a few seconds of that they hesitated and turned slightly to the left to avoid us. They weren't going that fast and we were able to follow them for quite a while (until we were almost out in the shipping channel!).

We used a GPS unit to find the second location where there was a Lionfish sighting. The others found it after a short while, but Ben was unsuccessful at netting that one too. I never even saw it. It had backed far back into the reef by the time I even realized they were going for one. We spent another 45 minutes or so snorkeling around looking for others, but found none. We did, however, find 5 Nurse Sharks (one of them quite large), encounter another Eagle Ray, and catch a glimpse of two small sea turtles from a distance. I was also able to identify another fish: the Spotfin Butterflyfish. And I was shown another large sea snail - the King Helmet Snail. We were having such a good time out there that we were late getting back. The divers were waiting for us and (a bit irritated) when we got back. I had to scramble to get my dive gear because I was supposed to be going with them.

Spotfin Butterflyfish

This was the group's second dive that counts towards our Advanced Diver certifications. We were headed to The Airplane, where we'd be practing our "wreck diving" skills. Our task was to draw out a map of the crash site. There's not much left of the plane other than the wings and some random scraps of metal. Apart from that, my goal was to practice buoyancy control and air consumption (slower steadier breathing). I did much better at both those things, but I think I need to drop another weight from my weight belt. I started with 12 lbs, I used 9 lbs today, and I'm going to try 8 lbs next. Once I get that balanced properly, buoyancy control should be much easier.

Right after the descent I spotted an octopus. It sped across the sandy bottom right in front of us, and ducked into a hole in the reef. It was the first one I've seen, and I'm not sure what species it was yet, but it was very cool to see. I was also able to identify two more fishes: the Longsnout Butterflyfish, and a Rock Beauty. We also saw a Spotted Moray Eel, not the first I've seen (though I think this is the first time I've mentioned it).

Longsnout Butterflyfish

Rock Beauty

Spotted Moray