In its continued efforts to keep bathing areas clear of the venomous lionfish, divers of the St. Maarten Nature Foundation removed a specimen from very shallow water at Mullet Bay Beach. The lionfish was caught on Saturday the 23rd of April in approximately 3 meters of water along the west side of the beach. "We received reports both from a private citizen and from the Coastguard regarding the presence of the fish in the water and our divers started looking for it the previous Thursday until it was found on Saturday. It was very important for us that we removed the specimen before the Easter Holidays when large amounts of people use the beach so we were very happy when we were finally able to capture it on Saturday," commented Tadzio Bervoets of the Nature Foundation. Follow up sweeps early on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday on Mullet Bay resulted in no specimens being found. Through a donation from the St. Maarten Time Share Association, beach facilities have been provided with lionfish specific first aid kits in the event a bather is stung. If a sting does occur heat should be applied to the wound and medical attention should be sought immediately. The captured specimen was dissected and analyzed and meat samples will be sent for testing in order to determine toxin levels.
Lionfish are an invasive species that were first sighted in St. Maarten's waters on the 15th of July 2010. Since then there have been a steady increase in sightings and reports of the species. Lionfish are a voracious predator that threaten local fish stock and pose a health risk to humans through their dangerous sting. The nature Foundation is continuing its efforts to control the population of lionfish on St. Maarten. If a lionfish is spotted or caught please contact the St. Maarten Nature Foundation on 5444267 or on 5270490.