Mexico’s Hotel Flamingo and Aquatic Sports are helping marine park officials locate and capture Lionfish, which have expanded extremely rapidly. Indo-pacific Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) have been documented along the entire East Coast of the U.S. from Florida north to Massachusetts, east to Bermuda and throughout the Bahamas and other Caribbean nations such as Turks and Caicos, Cuba and now Mexico.

Lionfish are voracious predators that eat native fish and crustaceans in large quantities. Juvenile Nassau grouper have been found in lionfish stomachs in the Bahamas. They are not known to have any native predators and are equipped with venomous dorsal, ventral and anal spines. These elegant marauders deter all who come near them and can cause painful wounds in humans. Lionfish are capable of reproducing year-round with unique reproduction mechanisms not commonly found in native fishes. These fish are relatively resistant to parasites giving them another advantage over native species. They have an accelerated growth rate and outgrow native species putting those who they compete for food and space at an extreme disadvantage.

Hotel Flamingo and Aquatic Sports along with marine park officials are doing their part to preserve the reef. Aquatic Sports is offering a free day of two tank dives for each Lionfish report. Divers must notify the dive master, who will record the depth, time and location of the lionfish. This information will be reported to marine park officials and the diver rewarded with a free day of two tank diving for each validated Lionfish report. The offer is valid until May 31, 2010.

REEF is also requesting reports of Lionfish and has made the reporting easy with an Exotic Species Sighting Form.

Hotel Flamingo, a 22-room boutique hotel, is offering seven nights/five days of two tank diving for $567 ppdo or four nights/two days of two tank diving for $260 ppdo. Packages include full breakfast each morning, buffet lunch on dive days,transfers to Aquatic Sports, tanks, weights and weight belts and are valid for travel until May 31, 2010.
Hotel Flamingo, 800-806-1601,www.hotelflamingo.com;
REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation), www.reef.org