Today I will be departing to go to Little Cayman Island. The island is about 2 miles in length and only has a population of under 200 people. We do not need cars to get around so we will have bikes. So, great exercise.
I will be scuba diving there and taking samples to learn further about our ocean and marine life it inhabits.
My topic of study is the Lionfish invasion. I picked this topic because 2 weeks ago I left Indonesia where Lionfish are native species.
However, in the Caribbean Lionfish are invasive in many direct and indirect ways. They prey on the reef fish. Specifically dameselfish who are algae eaters and keep the algae low off the coral. They also reproduce frequently and can withstand cold and hotter water temperatures.
The Lionfish are not invasive to the Indo-Pacific and even though I have asked the Balinese locals if they eat them, fish for them or engage in culling, the answer was no. They do not seem to be in abundance and cause the problems in the Indo-Pacific the way they cause problems off the coast of Florida, North Carolina, the Gulf of Mexico and all throughout the Caribbean. In 2014, there was an adult Lionfish spotted all the way off the coast of SE Brazil which shows how far they have spread in just a short period of time.
I look forward to learning more about oceanography and the wildlife in the sea.
I’ll be sure to take lots of photos.
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