Lionfish June Patch Reef Surveys

The lionfish team recently completed their quarterly surveys of lionfish and other reef fish in the patch reef system of South Eleuthera, part of a longterm study.

Adrian (SP 15 intern) does a great job removing a lionfish
Adrian (SP 15 intern) does a great job removing a lionfish

This time around the team saw a few unfamiliar fish species on the reef.  First on the list are juvenile Bluelip parrotfish; these fish are not a usual site on the reefs and this may be the first time they were spotted in these parts.  Next the team saw the spotted hawk fish; which can be difficult to identify.  Lastly, a Bandtailed puffer popped in on one of the surveys.  Sadly the Bigeye that has been hanging out on one patch for the last nine months had moved on.

One of the lionfish removed during surveys
One of the lionfish removed during surveys

A total 91 lionfish were spotted from the 16 sites visited over the four days of diving. However,the team speared/netted 30 of those lionfish from removal reefs! The biggest one caught was 27 cm long and the smallest was 4 cm. Interestingly, they caught quite a few lionfish that were under 10 cm, which is great that they can remove the little ones off the reef before they have a chance to reproduce.

 

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