Lionfish in the Florida Keys

Lionfish, although beautiful, are an invasive species here in the Florida Keys. Their natural location is in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean. This is a problem because they are dangerous to divers as they have venomous spines. They have no natural predators here and they reproduce in great numbers. They are displacing important commercial fish and reef fish. To combat this invasion a large scale assault is taking place against the lionfish. Many divers are arming themselves with small fishing spears to kill the lionfish. Once dead they become food for other fish, or more recently, food for people. They are rumored to be quite delicious. It's going to be quite a battle but divers here in the Florida Keys are ready to fight the invasion. For more information on lionfish see: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/stories/lionfish/welcome.html

SLA032611A Wreck dive on the barge

It was a beautiful day after a storm blowing through the night before, although it was a bit sporty. We had a relaxed start with a cooked breakfast and filled tanks on the way out to Sombero. The conditions were petty good. There was nothing out of the ordinary except for several lionfish under a few overhangs. We're seeing more and more of these; wish I had my pole spear. Next we moved on to an old haunt...Flagler's Barge. This is a big triangle of a barge. The top plates and ends are intact with a little framing holding it all together. Regardless, it counts as a wreck dive. There were alot of fish with the report of a large eel and two turtles. I saw one of the turtles, an old green turtle with a few barnacles on it's beat up shell. It stayed around, swimming around with the divers, giving them a good look at a turtle up close. We ended the day by coming back to anchor at Boot Key. The crew fished for baitfish, catching catfish and puffers too. Then they moved on to the big rods for a little shark fishing. It was a good day; no one lost a weight belt (almost one) and everyone had a great time.