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Pterois volitans
Adult in the first pic and juvenile in the second, as beautiful as these fishes are they are an unwanted sight in the Caribbean. Native to Pacific waters their location in other parts of the world is nothing but the result of aquaria trade. Their presence in the Caribbean has decimated populations of native small fishes that did not evolve to co-exist with this predator species (an example is the species in my previous spotting). For such reason lionfishes are actively hunted down and removed from the coral reef. It is a sad sight since is not the fishes but once again the human's fault.
Spotted in most dive sites around Bonaire.
6 Comments
This introduced species is causing the rapid demise of many other interesting Caribbean species so if we can do anything to stop that process it should be discussed.
Let's enjoy them with our and future generations' eyes rather than by our taste buds!
We actually had a dish made of lionfish and it was delicious! :-)
At least they taste great so humans might yet get a little control back.
Yes, I agree :-/
Beautiful fish, and great spotting. And yes, humans have screwed it up yet again.