Simba graces us with his presence at Punta Gruesa

As some of you may be aware, the Pacific Lionfish has begun to venture into more exciting unknown waters such as the Caribbean. As much as we all like to explore, it is not appreciated when the species in question has no natural predators in the local environment. Hence, for the greater good of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, us conservation fish-loving types have to get in touch with our slightly more violent side (in the nicest possible way of course).

Today, we mourn the rum-induced death of Simba the Pacific Lionfish.

Whilst snorkeling just meters off the beach with a less observant Tim (who was trying to show me an octopus at the time) I spotted the beautiful little baby Simba. It did startle me rather significantly as it’s not everyday you come across a poisonous foreign fish chilling in about 50cm of water.

The job of catching it was leapt upon by staff member Chris who longed to find a better use for his fish-spotting-pointy-stick. After a good 15mins of positioning various net bags we managed to coax it into the net. The octopus, meanwhile, was most likely amused by the whole affair.

Simba passed away as peacefully as was possible in the circumstances, aided by Ron Caribe Rum which I’m sure he appreciated. As the diet of the lionfish in the Caribbean is still being studied, Stu and Chris decided to perform dissection on his stomach. Amazingly they found the claws of a banded coral shrimp! This gave us considerably less sympathy for the mean little thing… how dare it eat the shrimp we spend our days monitoring!

Simba graces us with his presence at Punta Gruesa