Salty Locs

30/07/2026

Inside the stomach of a larger lionfish, I found the remains of 8 fish. By the time I filleted it, digestion had already broken them down too much to identify with certainty.

Lionfish prey on a wide variety of native reef fish, including ecologically important herbivores like parrotfish and damselfish, as well as commercially valuable species such as snapper and grouper.

When lionfish consume juvenile reef fish, the impact extends beyond the fish they eat.

They reduce the next generation of native reef fish while also removing prey that larger native predators depend on, creating ripple effects that can disrupt the entire reef food web.

Every lionfish removed gives countless juvenile reef fish another chance to survive, grow, and reproduce.

30/07/2026

Lionfish are voracious predators with expandable stomachs that allow them to consume prey up to half their own body length. Left unchecked, a single lionfish can have a significant impact on the next generation of reef fish.

Imagine this happening over and over again..

Every lionfish removed is one less predator feeding on the juveniles our reefs depend on.

28/07/2026

Quick cuts, clean fillets and less waste. 🔪🐠

Removing the lionfish collar takes a little extra effort, but there’s good meat tucked around those bones and every usable piece matters.

Harvest responsibly. Use what you catch. Eat ’em to beat ’em.

28/07/2026

28/07/2026

Simba and Nala’s lunch plans did not go quite as expected.

The bait gobies are still a little too big for them, so I cut one into smaller pieces… and the live gobies immediately went to town on it instead. Clearly, I need to find a better supply of tiny food for these two.

Feeding fail aside, they’re settling in nicely. The rocks give them plenty of places to explore, and there’s activity from every angle of the tank. 🦁🐠

27/07/2026

That’s all it takes sometimes! 🤿 🫧

26/07/2026

🧜🏽‍♀️ 83 lionfish removed from the waters of St. Croix today. 65 removed earlier in the week. Lots of fish to process and plenty of egg sacs bulging out the seams!

Slightly choppy conditions and just a little sharky in Christiansted. Pretty much all of them were found hiding out under rocks, overhangs and next to barrel sponges.

25/07/2026

Pretty sure I’ve already introduced y’all to “Alan”… just under a different context. 🤣

Small Caribbean… apparently even smaller shark dating pool. 😂

Let’s watch this together because I have… questions. 🍿

Alan, that’s you?!

24/07/2026

Children protect what they learn to love and they learn to love what they are given the chance to experience. 🌊

Let them swim, explore, ask questions, get curious and understand the natural world around them. Because if they don’t know it, they won’t value it. If they don’t value it, they won’t protect it. And if they won’t protect it…who will?