Lion Fish Underwater
 

Needless to say this fish should not be in the wild off Nassau. Did you see more than one of them?

Alan

Hello Allan,

Unfortunately they are. It is believed that Lion Fish among others are trapped in the water ballasts of large cargo ships etc from foreigh waters and then transported to non-indiginous waters. They munch juvinile fish 24/7 and can be found all over the Caribbean. In the Bahamas 5 years ago there were no sightings of Lion Fish until now, they are everywhere.

Troy

Beautiful footage! I could have gone on watching the video for much longer though. :-) The sea sounds and audio are very nice as well.

Hi Troy,

Wow! I am out of touch. Another possibility is the aquarium trade, I suppose. Not that introductions on purpose are unknown. Groupers from the Caribbean were introduced to Hawaii because there were no large groupers there. If the local critters are unfamiliar with the new immigrants, and if there is suitable food, the newcomers do well, often at the expense of species that "belong" there.

It is a changing world. Your footage is excellent and documents the reality of the situation.

I don't know if you are familiar with lionfish habits, but crowding them can result in a problem. If you are too close and notice the fish tipping onto its side towards you, back away a bit or it might lunge at you. Sometimes they will tolerate a very close approach, but not always. These guys are not usually deadly but it is very painful. Heat from hot water enough to denature the toxin works to stop the problem (about as hot as you can stand it).

Nice work,
Alan

Lionfish are now very abundant off the North Carolina coast with the first ones arriving earlier this decade. They pose a serious threat to the local ecology because they have no predators. There is a growing consensus to encourage catching them for food to help protect the indigenous species (taste just like bass apparently). Divers are requested to report the numbers of lionfish that they see on wrecks to help estimate the population growth. I've seen dozens and dozens this summer - gives me great video opportunities as well as concern for the well-being of the ecosystem.

A commonly accepted theory is that private aquaria containing lionfish in Florida were destroyed by a hurricane and the fish got into the ocean and/or owners deliberately released them. Yet another example of our capacity for exceptional stupidity.

Hey Troy, What camera and housing were you using?

XL-H1 inside a Gates housing with Greenforce lights.
troy

BEAUTIFUL video. Vivid and very sharp looking. The colors look real balanced. Thanks for posting definitely a treat to see high quality HD video of aquatic creatures!

thx :)
Troy