It was bound to happen. After 3 reported lionfish sightings at "The Arena" and "The Finger", 2 dive sites in the immediate vicinity of Hugh Parkey's Belize Adventure Lodge; we have caught our first lionfish. The difference is that this one was not out at the reef but just in front of the lodge. While conducting a routine boat cleaning in a shallow grass bed our crew noticed the lionfish swimming around a sunken log no deeper than 10 feet. Instructor Emicel Tepaz and Dive Master Roberto Carlos Vasquez managed to guide the fish into a bag and brought it up to the boat where it was placed into a bucket. The lionfish is a juvenile about 3 inches in length and similar to native reef fish species had settled in the protective area around grass beds and mangrove roots. The fish is being held in captivity and its future is yet to be decided.
Photo: Aldo Perez
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