Philipsburg:---Staff of the St. Maarten Nature Foundation have captured the venomous Lionfish on the "Bridge" dive site on Saturday morning with the help of a local Dive Centre. "Ocean Explorers Dive Center contacted us late Friday saying that they and their guests would be heading to the dive site where the lionfish was reported by another Dive Operator, Octopus Diving, on the 15th of July. The diving community have been excellent in sharing information with the Nature Foundation regarding sightings of the lionfish", commented Nature Foundation Manager Tadzio Bervoets.
On Saturday morning Nature Foundation staff, assisted by Ocean Explorer Divemaster Cayley Mackay,were able to capture the specimen and bring it to the surface. The specimen was a nine centimetre long juvenile and was hiding within a wreck, so capturing it using specially designed collecting nets proved difficult.
The specimen was euthanized, samples were taken and stomach contents were analysed. The Nature Foundation stresses that it is very important that every specimen be reported, euthanized and important data collected. "Unfortunately we need to kill every specimen which we collect because we need very specific data which is necessary to manage the infestation. We feel guilty killing such a beautiful animal but we need to in order to protect our reef fish and limit its spread."
Lionfish are an invasive venomous fish that can inflict a painful and sometimes fatal sting. Lionfish are usually found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans but were introduced into the Atlantic thru the aquarium trade. "Our native fish species don't recognize the Lionfish as a threat so they are unable to defend themselves against it. In other places were lionfish were spotted there are hardly any snappers and grouper because those are the type of fish the lionfish likes to eat."
The Nature Foundation will be hosting an information session on the Lionfish at La Bamba Beach Bar on Kim-Sha beach on Wednesday, the 28th of July. If a lionfish is seen contact should be made with the Nature Foundation at 5444267 or 5270490 or by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
