Had a great dive today with St Thomas Diving Club. We did a deep dive called the Grainton, a great wreck with tons of life and a bottom depth of about 110 feet. Saw multiple nurse sharks, black tip reef sharks, and (pictured above) lionfish. There were actually 2 lionfish spotted on the wreck (one by Mrs. USVI Daily photo!). Both of them were marked by our dive master and called in to the Lionfish Hotline (340-643-0800).
Lionfish are a serious problem in the Virgin Islands. They are not a natural species and have poisonous spines all over them and thus have no natural predators. Once they find a home on a reef (or wreck in this case) they can take over the food supply and drive out all of the fish in the area. The Lionfish Hotline takes tips from divers and then goes out and captures or kills the invasive fish.
Thanks everybody for your comments about what you'd like to see. I'll definitely keep a variety of photos going on the blog, with a few more of the USVI's beautiful beaches thrown in for good measure.
WONDERFUL photo, Bob! It would be beautiful on its own, but I loved seeing it accompanied by the back story. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarah!
ReplyDeleteI remember when lionfish were first spotted here in Florida years ago. They're so unusual, I'd definitely recognize one. Really sharp pic.
ReplyDeleteThey are some crazy looking fish, that's for sure. If they weren't so toxic to the environment they would be a joy to have on our reefs in the VIs.
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