Wednesday, July 28, 2010

LION FISH ROAR IN CARIBBEAN

Gorgeous but deadly! That is how one diver described the Lion Fish he saw recently at 'The Bridge', a popular St. Maarten dive site. Having reported the sighting, the St. Maarten Nature Foundation swung into action and after a couple of attempts managed to capture the Lion Fish, which turned out to be a juvenile. A few days later, divers reported sighting a Lion Fish off the coast of Saba, so it seems they are beginning to establish themselves in local waters. If you are stung by a Lion Fish, then you are in for some serious pain and, under the right circumstances, contact with the wrong end of a Lion Fish can prove fatal. Injuries to divers and swimmers are bad enough, but the arrival of this invasive species will, if allowed to go unchecked, cause untold damage to Caribbean reefs and indigenous species. The Nature Foundation euthanized the Lion Fish and dissected it for study. But where there's one, there must be many. How did this threat arrive in the Caribbean? News sources say two Lion Fish found their way into the ocean after a tank at a Miami aquarium was damaged during a hurricane, and it's their progeny that are now working their way down the island chain. Divers and swimmers are asked to report all sightings of Lion Fish to the relevant local authorities. In the mean time, keep your fingers and toes out of the way or the lion that roars might be you!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Should the Coast Guard tow?


News that the St. Maarten Coast Guard failed to respond to a pan-pan message has caused concern. When the skipper of the yacht Silver Moon was dismasted shortly after leaving the Simpson Bay Lagoon on Monday, July 12, he reportedly broadcast a pan-pan for 30-minutes. The call went unanswered. Finally, the call was acknowledged by the regional rescue center in Guadeloupe. They rebroadcast the call and asked for any vessel in the vicinity of St. Maarten to respond. The message was picked up by the Amcon Lagoon Diving Service's tug Skutter which had just dropped off a tow. The tug had the yacht in sight and assisted the vessel back to the harbor, having first removed the mast from alongside the yacht. The owner of the yacht was so angry at the lack of response by the local coast guard, that he sent an article to the St. Maarten Daily Herald seeking an explanation. The newspaper contacted the coast guard and asked for a comment and, basically, were told shit happens. My thoughts are that either no one was monitoring the VHF or the coast guard are more interested in looking for illegal activities. Should the coast guard tow boats in distress? In St. Maarten, we have the answer.