As others have said, since the lionfish have no natural enemies in these waters that they're invading (and spawning like crazy, devouring native species), the local predator species have to become accustomed to these fish as a prey fish. Eels, groupers, sharks other fish CAN be shown the lionfish as edible prey fish. This will also help to eradicate them from depths too deep for recreational divers. This invasive species was CAUSED by humans dumping their aquarium fish in the ocean, not realizing the damage they would do.
🟦.... Well, you're PARTIALLY right, lionfish WERE spread by humans, but NOT by 'em emptying their aquariums into the ocean, although I'm SURE that HAS happened, there just wouldn't have been the NUMBERS that we experienced so QUICKLY if that had been the major source of the invasion, but it was actually caused instead by Lionfish being transported here in the BALLASTS of SHIPS!..... The lionfish was kind of the last straw in invasive species & is the reason that very soon, ships utilizing that type of ballast may be required to have Microwave-Emitters installed in the ballast-tanks to KILL EVERYTHING IN THEM just before dumping the ballast.
@@Lunar_Capital Not all of them. Hurricanes, for example, can cause species to leave their native ecosystem. Fires from thunderstorms can cause species to relocate. Sometimes things might happen on accident, but humans have accelerated this by 10000%
If you haven’t spent a lot of time in the Caribbean you can’t begin to appreciate just how big those green morays can get. I’ve been face to face with one that was six feet long and as big around as my thigh, with a head the size of a football. When they get that big they are an apex predator, and are therefore very calm and gentle with divers. They’re very fascinating and powerful.
And at that size would remove your hand from your wrist with nothing but a little pop! Quite an incredible fish which deserves up most respect, very cool animals at the same time.
They've got terrible eyesight, which makes it more dangerous to interact with them, as they could easily mistake your extremities for prey. They also have pharyngial jaws, think the xenomorphs from the Alien franchise. Seen a smaller one take a diver's thumb when the dumbass was feeding it hot dogs. That said I've also seen plenty of video suggesting they like chin rubs. I just wouldn't take the risk personally.
@@OnlyKaerius This is why it’s generally dumb to feed dangerous wild predators - not you, @octodiver, you clearly know what you’re doing. I see all these videos of tour groups in swarms of sharks, feeding them, or feeding morays, etc. You’re just asking for it.
Thanks for your comment! We just hope that predators develop soon so we can stop killing lionfish. They are really beautiful underwater, and we would rather enjoy them as part of the reef ecosystem.
@@reduardocc Lionfish are destroying the reef's ecosystem by eating the fish that protect it...I don't believe that there's anything 'enjoyable' regarding an invasive species taking over our land and our oceans. Invasive pythons and wild hogs in Florida, or the invasive Chinese carp in our lakes shouldn't be enjoyed by anyone...IMO.
I was free diving in Maui with a spear fishing group. We swam off shore about 200 yards, water depth was 20-30 feet. I was practicing laying on the bottom for as long as I could. I went up got a big breath of air and did a duck dive to go back down, about 15 feet down there was a coral formation on my right side that rose up from the sea floor, I was being watched.... intently! I nearly inked the water because a big green Moray came half way out of his hole to check me out, zero fear on his part. I could have easily been seriously injured. I'm thankful he was just curious and not in defence mode. I learned a new level of respect on that excursion.
I've had the opposite experience. I was descending toward the bottom in 60 ft of water. A moray eel was cruising around, took one look at me, and sped away like crazy to the nearest hole. They don't want to mess with people, they are deathly afraid of us. The only exceptions are ones that have been fed by people.
@@artvandelay8090 I have a ton of respect for them, most creatures don't want anything to do with humans but in the case of a Morey I don't want to push my luck. Any wild animal that feels threatened will do whatever is necessary for their own preservation be it run and hide or fight to the death.
ua-cam.com/video/3IQ2I-P8Ucw/v-deo.html Here is a moray that apparently befriended and remembered a diver. And below is a sobering video about the dangers of morays. ua-cam.com/video/8rLmQVQOM-8/v-deo.html
Great video. Its amazing seeing how many lion fish that you encounter in a dive, even though you are trying to kill as many as you can. Glad to see the eel made a meal of it
It was kinda funny to see that smaller fish, a pilot fish maybe, watch as the moray devoured the whole lionfish. I'm sure he asked "are you gunna eat all of that?" just before he engulfed it and swam off.
WesleyAPEX you've got that right!... I've killed over 200 lionfishs. Not a single one have ran... unless you miss the shot and then they run... but not far. They also taste very good!!.. I would say similar to red snapper...
they dont have any natural predators, so when they see the divers coming they just don't see them as a threat. in almost every video of lionfish being hunted by groupers/eels the predator starts the hunt by getting very close to the lionfish. then the lionfish tries to keep its spines aimed at the predator and the predator tries to find a way around them. divers however do not come very close to the fish but stay at a distance, so the lionfish doesn't go into defensive mode, and then the divers spear them/ shoot them in too short a time for the lionfish to react. even if there are multiple lionfish and they see one of their comrades being killed, they expect that the spines of the killed fish will harm the predator when it eats the lionfish, which divers don't do straight away. the instinct of the lionfish is not to flee, because they are not build to do that. they can go pretty quickly in short bursts, but not for long periods of time, so even if they try to run, a diver can just swim after it and probably catch up
@@jessedijkstra1220 More importantly they are not designed to run, their short body type only allows them to put on short bursts of speed. They rely on their venomous spines for protection instead.
I dive about 100 times a year in the IndoPacific and most species of lion fish are as fearless there as here. They are afraid of nothing, nor should be, because of the venomous spines. There are a few species through that are less relaxed, and they appear to have less weaponry. Like the twin spot lion.
Divers have done more to impact this evasive species than sea life eating them. Keep up the good work. By turning. Lion fish into Taco's.. When I did my recent lion fish cull. I killed. Around 700 in 4 days.. I cleaned them and donated them to food bank for the homeless..
I couldn’t find the moray eel in the large aquarium tank so i very gently tapped on glass. He found me hitting a 10 on the volts of electricity sent out and I never jumped so high. I immediately left his abode, never to return. Wow!
When an eel has a maw with a pharyngeal jaw, that’s a moray, When it’s jaws open wide and there’s more jaws inside, that’s a moray When it sulks in a reef and has two sets of teeth, that’s a moray When an eel bites your thigh and you bleed out and die, oh that’s a moray!
I’m aware they, and pretty much any predatory fish can eat them, but how do they deal with the spines? For something where the lion fish is sitting snugly in the stomach, even a slight jostling, or bending should cause the needles to puncture the stomach, and maybe further, even injecting venom directly into the body cavity or other organs. Do the spines get dissolved/digested very quickly? When lionfish(any fish)die and decompose, the bones and especially the spines, don’t break down, so I would imagine it wouldn’t be very long before the spines don’t even have soft flesh around them to potentially help “cushion” them, and separate them from the stomach lining. It’s just very strange to me. I’m absolutely incredibly happy everything can swallow them and survive, I just don’t get how it’s as safe as it is.
@@Dahlen4Dummies the pressure around the body of the lionfish keeps the fins pressed close and tight. The stomach acid erodes the tips a lot faster due to their slim shape yielding maximum surface area. The predator's motions will not affect that.
Fish in the Gulf and Atlantic are learning how to eat these fish safely, hopefully others will learn from watching and that will weed them out quicker.
In the USVI, it's illegal to directly feed other creatures the lionfish. We cull them and leave them on the reef. We have been seeing fish (especially mutton snappers) acting like bird dogs - they will swim toward divers then toward the reef and back until you follow them or swim away. Almost every time I've followed them, there's been at least one lionfish where they took me. I'll cull them and leave them on the reef. Don't get lazy and leave your gloves at home - I was envenomated ("stung") in the pad of my thumb about 3 weeks ago. Doctor says it will probably be another 3 weeks before I'm back in the water...
Well done. Fantastic video. Morays are probably the only species I've seen that have zero issues swallowing lionfish. Even barracudas and scorpionfish are not too keen on them though they are definitely on the menu
Wait, that's a big eel? When I was diving in the middle of the Pacific on a wreck my buddy and i saw a eel that was a good 12 inches in diameter and about 10-12 feet long. Now that was a Big eel.
🟦 That bone crunch (just after 2:47) was so satisfying,... I'm concerned though that the Moray might hurt itself getting the fish off the barbs of your "Sticker",... and whether or not it might be a good idea to just drop the fish to it with-OUT the sticker?
It's a valid concern. We normally try to remove the fish from the "Sticker" but in this case, the eel was so excited that we stayed away as a precaution
I was reaching for a seashell at 130 yrs ago when a green Eel mouth open met me half way. Lol I was able to grab it from a different angle. Don't let life pass you by. DIVE
@@reduardocc it was the first green Eel I remember seeing. I Dove at night for Flounder for yrs. Around the old Liberty Ships in Northern Gulf of Mexico. I sure miss it
I've always been creeped out by eels, but now they have my respect. Just like how I used to think Lion Fish were pretty, until I started seeing them on my dives in Key West and the Bahamas.
A school of those fish swam around me when I was in the Red Sea at about 30 feet down. I just hung out and waited. Did not want to get poked by those fins..
Yes. The eel survived. They love lionfish but they still don't know how to hunt them. Eels always come back for more lionfish. Every time we go diving in the same spot, eels look forward for their piece of lionfish... Same with reef sharks
@@reduardocc Nature figures itself out. I don't think fish know the difference between the pacific or Atlantic and not everything will die with 100 quadrillion infinity fish in the ocean and one fish jumping oceans. Look at the American southern border . WIDE OPEN. America will get different demographics but in the end is all life on the planet meant to stay in one place unchanged forever? Leave the fish alone 😔 it's creepy.
Had a Lion fish in my reef tank loved it such a Beautiful fish but very invasive species which I still had him but he died of old age but he was bigger than that one
Totally agree with you; lionfish is an extremely beautiful fish. It's really a shame to have to kill them... let's hope a predator arises soon in these waters so we can enjoy lionfish as part of the habitat
Apparently by people having them in personal aquariums and then been released into the ocean. Lionfish lay thousands of eggs every few days. You can learn more if you Google: "lionfish problem" 😉
These are the asian carp of the coral reefs, they absolutely decimate reefs. They should never have been released into the caribbean, they have no predators and eat almost anything they can fit into their mouths. Seeing Eels and Groupers eating these is a really good sign, they can be very dangerous to most sea life because their spines have venomous barbs. Something tells me that eel found a way to get around them.
All Commercial and Industrial fishing need to be outlawed. Let the seas and oceans return to their natural state. Allow only manmade lake fish farming to feed the masses. Self-sustainment fishing is okay as long as limits are in place to protect from overfishing.
It's like being in a giant lung off the coast of Hawaii .. There's a strong surge as the cliifs and reef are porous . of course it varies from place to place. But the currents in between the islands in the channels are the strongest currents in the world. Maui and molokini a specially
That Morey better stop eating my fish tacos. Lionfish are delicious and right there with hogfish, tilefish and snook as my all time favorite fish to eat.
Have to admit I'm confused. Supposedly Lionfish are protected because of their venomous fins. I've seen UA-cams of them being eaten by sharks, Groupers, Tarpon and eels with no apparent ill effects. Doesn't seem like much of a defense.
man just in this short clip i counted about a dozen of the spiney little bastards.... its seriously that bad. im glad teaching predators to hunt them is working somewhat
because the eel is dead. spines are a weapon, wielded as such consciously, not some kind of poison on a poison dart frog or a mushroom or a monarch butterfly. There is only one great ocean which is completely interconnected. Lionfish are inevitable members of the ecosystem. killing them is nothing more than ignorant cruelty. Let nature handle it's own affairs.
@@wilsonblauheuer6544 This is very wrong, ocean are connected, but that doesn't mean that mediterranean fish such as Lion Fish can cross the Atlantic by themselves. Their presence is wrong and should be eliminated.
@@wilsonblauheuer6544 Related to the Scorpion Fish and Stone fish, the Lion (or Turkey) Fish are equipped with highly poisonous spines. Unless the eel has some sort of immunity to the toxins, it is likely dead too! Thanks to a few nitwits on a fun dive! I have dived around Okinawa and observed one of these docile creatures that was the size of a basketball from just four feet away. I guess they had some toys to play with and instead of being adults exposed their ignorance of nature!
Yes, it's beautiful down there. Lionfish are venomous. However only in a few spines up and down. If those spines are removed, the fish is perfectly safe for human consumption. Eels are immune to lionfish venomous.
I would be curious if big groupers or moreys catch on faster to this training. Groupers are also being over fished in many areas that lionfish are a problem. Stressing the apex fish doesn't help the issue. Awesome vid. Healthy reef and you get to play with moreys. Im envious. :-)
No, they don't. Eels actually love it and come for more every time we dive which is kind of dangerous for divers; Eels star to associate divers with food (lionfish) and they want more.
Did they catch the lion fish specifically to feed it to the eel? Or did they drop the lion fish by accident and the eel just happened to be there and snatch it up?
I actually did the same thing with a pole spear and while getting it off I barely pricked the palm of my hand with a top spine thru the gloves and almost had to abort my dive due to the pain. Once I got back on the boat about 30min. later the pain just disappeared within 5 min. They are a really delicious white meat. you need at least 4-5 per person for a meal.
Wow you were lucky... the people that i know that were stang by lionfish, suffered for days, and some of them went to the hospital. You are obviously not allergic to their venom. We typically prepare lionfish as a "ceviche". It's more convenient for sharing.
@@reduardocc I didnt get full penetration into my skin because of kevlar gloves. More of a skin prick. I remember thinking that glad it didnt go full in my skin. Taught me to have a little more respect.
Invasive species aside, this video should be called "Humans feed eel". It's misleading to think you're watching nature. Instead what you are watching is a grocery delivery.
Don't think he really needs your help there's plenty around for eel to catch and that's why they bite at other snorkelers unsuspecting on the hands passing by.
Eels and many other predators in the Atlantic ocean are not trained to hunt lionfish since they were just recently (early 2000s) introduced in these waters by mistake. That's why lionfish don't have natural predators in the Atlantic. Therefore they hunt and kill large quantities of other reef species putting in danger the entire ecosystem. It is very important to hunt lionfish until natural predators develop. Biologists, scientists, governments and the entire community are encouraging divers and fishermen to hunt lionfish along the Caribbean and surrounding waters.
I've seen a video where the divers trained sharks to eat the lion fish, I believe it was in the Bahamas. Since they are not native the other fish do not see them as prey. Once trained the sharks would hunt them and since the lion fish are slow and don't try to swim away they were easy pickens.
Ingesting that lionfish was quite a job even for the morey. The eel fed upon a dead lionfish but actually hunting them seems more trouble than it's worth when easier prey is available.
We have done that too. Very delicious. However, this time we were trying to "teach" eels to like lionfish with the hope that some day they start to hunt them down by themselves which, at this point, I think it's already happening
Will the potential predators develop immunity to the lion fish's venom? I have seen video of scorpionfish also devouring lionfish, sharks, large grouper, spines and all.
I think so. I see less and less lionfish lately. Predators might already be hunting them. I really hope so because we would stop hunting them. I would rather enjoy them as part of the ecosystem then hunting them trying to control their species.
I remember when so called “walking catfish” first appeared in Florida. People thought they would eradicate many native species. They didn’t know Florida. There are critters in Florida that can kill anything. Now people are worried about Burmese Pythons and other invasive big snakes. The snakes are a challenge but I think there are a lot of alligators, gars, snapping turtles and other snakes, not to mention people, that will put up a good fight.
octodiver It looks like the eel is stripping the meat from under the spines - could you look out for that on your next dive? Perhaps zoom in and get a close up or put the camera on s stick? Are they immune or do they despine first? Or both? I saw a video that said they’re very tasty, and highly nutritious. And very beautiful, deadly and invasive..... they’d turned into quite the local delicacy.
octodiver Some species of Gymnothorax Moringa (Moray Eel) are “immune” to certain types of venom. A quick Google search should provide you with a few Zoological papers written about this in detail. Additionally, you can find several videos on UA-cam where eels and sea snakes are battling it out with the eel feeling little effect from the snake’s venom. There have also been studies in regard to subcultures of Moray Eels actually being immune to Stonefish venom. Since both Stonefish and Lionfish are apart of the same Scorpaenidae culture/family it would follow that maybe the eel featured in the video here is, in fact, immune to the Lionfish’s venom. Hope this helps and thanks for sharing the video! Cheers
Well, Lionfish are not as aggressive and dangerous to humans as feral pigs but they are an invasive species so they are (or were) growing without control. I believe that by now, there are new natural predators controlling lionfish population in the Caribbean so I think there is no need to hunt them anymore. 😉
Eel: "Honey, our human Doordashers are here with that lionfish we ordered. Happy anniversary, dear."
As others have said, since the lionfish have no natural enemies in these waters that they're invading (and spawning like crazy, devouring native species), the local predator species have to become accustomed to these fish as a prey fish. Eels, groupers, sharks other fish CAN be shown the lionfish as edible prey fish. This will also help to eradicate them from depths too deep for recreational divers. This invasive species was CAUSED by humans dumping their aquarium fish in the ocean, not realizing the damage they would do.
That's correct
Smart people right there
🟦.... Well, you're PARTIALLY right, lionfish WERE spread by humans, but NOT by 'em emptying their aquariums into the ocean, although I'm SURE that HAS happened, there just wouldn't have been the NUMBERS that we experienced so QUICKLY if that had been the major source of the invasion, but it was actually caused instead by Lionfish being transported here in the BALLASTS of SHIPS!.....
The lionfish was kind of the last straw in invasive species & is the reason that very soon, ships utilizing that type of ballast may be required to have Microwave-Emitters installed in the ballast-tanks to KILL EVERYTHING IN THEM just before dumping the ballast.
Isn’t every invasive species our fault in some way?
@@Lunar_Capital Not all of them. Hurricanes, for example, can cause species to leave their native ecosystem. Fires from thunderstorms can cause species to relocate. Sometimes things might happen on accident, but humans have accelerated this by 10000%
If you haven’t spent a lot of time in the Caribbean you can’t begin to appreciate just how big those green morays can get. I’ve been face to face with one that was six feet long and as big around as my thigh, with a head the size of a football. When they get that big they are an apex predator, and are therefore very calm and gentle with divers. They’re very fascinating and powerful.
Totally agree 👍
@@reduardocc the morays we swam with in Hawaii got to know us. They are very smart and oddly kind marine animals
And at that size would remove your hand from your wrist with nothing but a little pop! Quite an incredible fish which deserves up most respect, very cool animals at the same time.
They've got terrible eyesight, which makes it more dangerous to interact with them, as they could easily mistake your extremities for prey. They also have pharyngial jaws, think the xenomorphs from the Alien franchise. Seen a smaller one take a diver's thumb when the dumbass was feeding it hot dogs.
That said I've also seen plenty of video suggesting they like chin rubs. I just wouldn't take the risk personally.
@@OnlyKaerius This is why it’s generally dumb to feed dangerous wild predators - not you, @octodiver, you clearly know what you’re doing. I see all these videos of tour groups in swarms of sharks, feeding them, or feeding morays, etc. You’re just asking for it.
Lionfish: Look at all my spines! I'm incredibly venomous!
Eel: Oh no! Anyway- (eats lionfish)
LOL
Eel: "I'm in the mood for spicy food. Lionfish would do" haha
Ha ha, Asian food.
Very witty indeed .
I love the underwater forest/sea scape. Just so peaceful looking
It is indeed!!
The people that "disliked" this video don't understand what a threat this invasive fish is.
You're totally correct!!!
If only they Google "lionfish problem" they would fully understand...
@Tony Anthony Yep!
They don t even understand how their own president is dammageable
@@richardboutin8522 You sound really smart. Did the TV tell you to say that?
Bernie22 not really i am Canadian
Thank you for tackling this invasive species problem.
Thanks for your comment!
We just hope that predators develop soon so we can stop killing lionfish. They are really beautiful underwater, and we would rather enjoy them as part of the reef ecosystem.
@KB1523 dude, search for "lionfish problem" and you will understand
@@reduardocc
Lionfish are destroying the reef's ecosystem by eating the fish that protect it...I don't believe that there's anything 'enjoyable' regarding an invasive species taking over our land and our oceans.
Invasive pythons and wild hogs in Florida, or the invasive Chinese carp in our lakes shouldn't be enjoyed by anyone...IMO.
The space Invaders have brought us food once again
*Spaced
I was free diving in Maui with a spear fishing group. We swam off shore about 200 yards, water depth was 20-30 feet. I was practicing laying on the bottom for as long as I could. I went up got a big breath of air and did a duck dive to go back down, about 15 feet down there was a coral formation on my right side that rose up from the sea floor, I was being watched.... intently!
I nearly inked the water because a big green Moray came half way out of his hole to check me out, zero fear on his part. I could have easily been seriously injured. I'm thankful he was just curious and not in defence mode. I learned a new level of respect on that excursion.
Great story!
I've had the opposite experience. I was descending toward the bottom in 60 ft of water. A moray eel was cruising around, took one look at me, and sped away like crazy to the nearest hole. They don't want to mess with people, they are deathly afraid of us. The only exceptions are ones that have been fed by people.
@@artvandelay8090
I have a ton of respect for them, most creatures don't want anything to do with humans but in the case of a Morey I don't want to push my luck. Any wild animal that feels threatened will do whatever is necessary for their own preservation be it run and hide or fight to the death.
ua-cam.com/video/3IQ2I-P8Ucw/v-deo.html
Here is a moray that apparently befriended and remembered a diver.
And below is a sobering video about the dangers of morays.
ua-cam.com/video/8rLmQVQOM-8/v-deo.html
Great video. Its amazing seeing how many lion fish that you encounter in a dive, even though you are trying to kill as many as you can. Glad to see the eel made a meal of it
Thanks!
The Moray eel is like " Spines, so what I use them as toothpicks "
Yes indeed!
It was kinda funny to see that smaller fish, a pilot fish maybe, watch as the moray devoured the whole lionfish. I'm sure he asked "are you gunna eat all of that?" just before he engulfed it and swam off.
When it darts at your eye like a beam from the sky, it's a Moray...
That's really clever!
Hahaha…good one
"... When 'yer swimmin' in the Creek, and an eel bites 'yer cheek, that's a Moray!..."
When a huge Lion Fish gets devoured by an eel, it's a Moray!
When the lines hit your eyes from two screens in a ply, that's a Moire. 😁
Glad to see an invasive species being actively policed!
Thank you Azseth!
Azseth is the Lion Fish invasive over there
Texas or Arizona? 🤣
Lol policing the fish what a dick
Lion fish are so chilled out the little fishes see them as part of the reef. Pretty soon there’s no juvenile fishes to grow up.
Lion fish are
/-\$§|-|¤|_e$
Moray Eel is the honey badger of the sea.
you're the honey badger of the sea
Moray Eal doesn't give a shit. He just takes what he wants.
@@area51r do you like honey badgers?
Icepacalypse johnson Until a sea snake knock their doors, that is... 😌
I can’t believe lionfish dont swim away from divers. They look incredibly easy to shoot
WesleyAPEX you've got that right!... I've killed over 200 lionfishs. Not a single one have ran... unless you miss the shot and then they run... but not far.
They also taste very good!!.. I would say similar to red snapper...
they dont have any natural predators, so when they see the divers coming they just don't see them as a threat. in almost every video of lionfish being hunted by groupers/eels the predator starts the hunt by getting very close to the lionfish. then the lionfish tries to keep its spines aimed at the predator and the predator tries to find a way around them. divers however do not come very close to the fish but stay at a distance, so the lionfish doesn't go into defensive mode, and then the divers spear them/ shoot them in too short a time for the lionfish to react. even if there are multiple lionfish and they see one of their comrades being killed, they expect that the spines of the killed fish will harm the predator when it eats the lionfish, which divers don't do straight away.
the instinct of the lionfish is not to flee, because they are not build to do that. they can go pretty quickly in short bursts, but not for long periods of time, so even if they try to run, a diver can just swim after it and probably catch up
They are a stupid invasive species.
@@jessedijkstra1220 More importantly they are not designed to run, their short body type only allows them to put on short bursts of speed. They rely on their venomous spines for protection instead.
I dive about 100 times a year in the IndoPacific and most species of lion fish are as fearless there as here. They are afraid of nothing, nor should be, because of the venomous spines. There are a few species through that are less relaxed, and they appear to have less weaponry. Like the twin spot lion.
Divers have done more to impact this evasive species than sea life eating them. Keep up the good work. By turning. Lion fish into Taco's.. When I did my recent lion fish cull. I killed. Around 700 in 4 days.. I cleaned them and donated them to food bank for the homeless..
Way to go!!...
I'm planning to hunt more of them very soon...
Good job.
I couldn’t find the moray eel in the large aquarium tank so i very gently tapped on glass. He found me hitting a 10 on the volts of electricity sent out and I never jumped so high. I immediately left his abode, never to return. Wow!
Im so glad divers are actually teaching predatory fish to eat these.
Yes, thanks. And it's working!!
When an eel has a maw with a pharyngeal jaw, that’s a moray,
When it’s jaws open wide and there’s more jaws inside, that’s a moray
When it sulks in a reef and has two sets of teeth, that’s a moray
When an eel bites your thigh and you bleed out and die, oh that’s a moray!
That eel was ferocious. I saw an emerald green eel like this one only twice as big back in 1992 while diving off Isla Mujeres by Cancun.
Yes. I'm more careful with these eels than with sharks and barracudas
When a big eel bites your head,
Squeezes tight and then you're dead,
That's a Moray!
Hehe hehe hehe
No escape indeed!!
Eel:”Thanks!(*urrrp*)
I’m aware they, and pretty much any predatory fish can eat them, but how do they deal with the spines? For something where the lion fish is sitting snugly in the stomach, even a slight jostling, or bending should cause the needles to puncture the stomach, and maybe further, even injecting venom directly into the body cavity or other organs. Do the spines get dissolved/digested very quickly? When lionfish(any fish)die and decompose, the bones and especially the spines, don’t break down, so I would imagine it wouldn’t be very long before the spines don’t even have soft flesh around them to potentially help “cushion” them, and separate them from the stomach lining. It’s just very strange to me. I’m absolutely incredibly happy everything can swallow them and survive, I just don’t get how it’s as safe as it is.
My guess is slime ftw.
I wondered about that too...
Predatory fish have strong stomach acid that quickly dissolves their prey.
@@SomeGuy-vo7we thank you if this is true.
@@Dahlen4Dummies the pressure around the body of the lionfish keeps the fins pressed close and tight. The stomach acid erodes the tips a lot faster due to their slim shape yielding maximum surface area. The predator's motions will not affect that.
Fish in the Gulf and Atlantic are learning how to eat these fish safely, hopefully others will learn from watching and that will weed them out quicker.
Great job,great video, especially that Eel.That was epic.Keep up the good work,now more than ever.
Thank you Dale
How deep was this and also how deep are lionfish normally found? Awesome video
This video was at 60 feet.
I have seen lionfish at all depths; from 3 feet to more than 130 feet (our scuba diving limit).
Thanks for the quick reply keep doing awesome videos...
@@maelo9x 😉😉
I heard that submersibles have found them down to 1,000 feet deep!
@@PaulPaulMan that's crazy
In the USVI, it's illegal to directly feed other creatures the lionfish. We cull them and leave them on the reef. We have been seeing fish (especially mutton snappers) acting like bird dogs - they will swim toward divers then toward the reef and back until you follow them or swim away. Almost every time I've followed them, there's been at least one lionfish where they took me. I'll cull them and leave them on the reef. Don't get lazy and leave your gloves at home - I was envenomated ("stung") in the pad of my thumb about 3 weeks ago. Doctor says it will probably be another 3 weeks before I'm back in the water...
Interesting story 😉
Well done. Fantastic video. Morays are probably the only species I've seen that have zero issues swallowing lionfish. Even barracudas and scorpionfish are not too keen on them though they are definitely on the menu
Sharks also love lionfish. Check this video we recorded in the same diving area:
ua-cam.com/video/pNPnQWSGsYI/v-deo.html
@@reduardocc Thanks. Appreciate the video
🟦....Also Grouper, Snapper and some Sharks enjoy lionfish on the menu!....
Oh yeah. Old school UA-cam videos: no long-ass 10min intro to show 80 seconds of the actual content.
What's the rush? Enjoy the scenery 😉
Wait, that's a big eel? When I was diving in the middle of the Pacific on a wreck my buddy and i saw a eel that was a good 12 inches in diameter and about 10-12 feet long. Now that was a Big eel.
Did you need a bigger boat ?
I free dive plenty in Maui and that is a big eel for Hawaiian waters
@@jonathanturek5846 I was diving off of Wake Island when I saw that big eel.
@@jonathanturek5846 I saw a couple eels in Maui a couple days back but they were only about 2 or 3 feet
I heard that eel say : "goodness gracious, why are you feeding me these awful prickly gnarly snacks"?
🟦 That bone crunch (just after 2:47) was so satisfying,... I'm concerned though that the Moray might hurt itself getting the fish off the barbs of your "Sticker",... and whether or not it might be a good idea to just drop the fish to it with-OUT the sticker?
It's a valid concern. We normally try to remove the fish from the "Sticker" but in this case, the eel was so excited that we stayed away as a precaution
Wow that Eel snatched up that Lion Fish almost as fast as Anderson Coopers Ass snatches up gerbils
😄😄😄
I was reaching for a seashell at 130 yrs ago when a green Eel mouth open met me half way. Lol
I was able to grab it from a different angle.
Don't let life pass you by.
DIVE
Wow ... that's what they call a "deep surprise" Lol
@@reduardocc it was the first green Eel I remember seeing. I Dove at night for Flounder for yrs. Around the old Liberty Ships in Northern Gulf of Mexico.
I sure miss it
Someone just needs to tell cajuns these things taste great in a gumbo and it's all over for the species
LOL
Damn those Lionfish are everywhere! Cool to see Moray Eel eating one.
Yes, we hope eels learn to do so by themselves soon...
Somehow they are not a problem in the Pacific. The lionfish in the Pacific should be studied to learn which marine animals keep them on their diet.
@@wavemaker2077 the risk is inviting another invasive specie in to control the lionfish... vicious circle
That was a quick meal, spines and all.
I've always been creeped out by eels, but now they have my respect. Just like how I used to think Lion Fish were pretty, until I started seeing them on my dives in Key West and the Bahamas.
That's correct!
@@reduardocc Lionfish are pretty. Really poisonous things often are. Keep on spearing them.
A school of those fish swam around me when I was in the Red Sea at about 30 feet down. I just hung out and waited. Did not want to get poked by those fins..
Question. The eel ate the fish, but did it survive the encounter? We saw it swim away, but what about an hour later?
Yes. The eel survived. They love lionfish but they still don't know how to hunt them. Eels always come back for more lionfish. Every time we go diving in the same spot, eels look forward for their piece of lionfish... Same with reef sharks
@@reduardocc I guess they learned to be fed by a diver. I know it sounds cruel, but will they respond to a staked out fish?
@@Mr65gone I think so
This makes me want to get my SCUBA Certification faster.
Believe me, you will not regret it 😉
Good job and great teamwork between diver and Moray. Lol.
Thanks 😉
Feeds one fish to an eel.
Only 7 billion more and you've accomplished whatever it is you're doing
But eels might be learning to hunt themselves
@@reduardocc Nature figures itself out. I don't think fish know the difference between the pacific or Atlantic and not everything will die with 100 quadrillion infinity fish in the ocean and one fish jumping oceans. Look at the American southern border . WIDE OPEN. America will get different demographics but in the end is all life on the planet meant to stay in one place unchanged forever? Leave the fish alone 😔 it's creepy.
Had a Lion fish in my reef tank loved it such a Beautiful fish but very invasive species which I still had him but he died of old age but he was bigger than that one
Totally agree with you; lionfish is an extremely beautiful fish. It's really a shame to have to kill them... let's hope a predator arises soon in these waters so we can enjoy lionfish as part of the habitat
octodiver absolutely
How did they end up in this area of the ocean? How quickly do they multiply?
Apparently by people having them in personal aquariums and then been released into the ocean.
Lionfish lay thousands of eggs every few days.
You can learn more if you Google: "lionfish problem" 😉
The fish is in it’s own habitat living freely until you came along.
Actually it's an invasive species that was causing a lot of damage to the local habitat. You can Google, : " lionfish problem" to know more details 😉
These are the asian carp of the coral reefs, they absolutely decimate reefs. They should never have been released into the caribbean, they have no predators and eat almost anything they can fit into their mouths. Seeing Eels and Groupers eating these is a really good sign, they can be very dangerous to most sea life because their spines have venomous barbs. Something tells me that eel found a way to get around them.
I saw a Lion Fish speared by a human and then fed to a huge green eel…how on earth is that OK?
All Commercial and Industrial fishing need to be outlawed. Let the seas and oceans return to their natural state. Allow only manmade lake fish farming to feed the masses. Self-sustainment fishing is okay as long as limits are in place to protect from overfishing.
Agree
I don't believe I've ever seen water current just kick up like a wind storm before. Interesting.
It's like being in a giant lung off the coast of Hawaii .. There's a strong surge as the cliifs and reef are porous . of course it varies from place to place. But the currents in between the islands in the channels are the strongest currents in the world. Maui and molokini a specially
That Morey better stop eating my fish tacos. Lionfish are delicious and right there with hogfish, tilefish and snook as my all time favorite fish to eat.
LoL
Have to admit I'm confused. Supposedly Lionfish are protected because of their venomous fins. I've seen UA-cams of them being eaten by sharks, Groupers, Tarpon and eels with no apparent ill effects. Doesn't seem like much of a defense.
Yes. Lionfish are protected against some predators but not all of them 😉
Good to see Moray's enjoy a spicy meal, it's a shame more creatures haven't developed a taste for lion fish.
I think it's happening. I'm not seeing the uncontrolled lionfish population anymore 🙂
At least he fed the eel.
man just in this short clip i counted about a dozen of the spiney little bastards.... its seriously that bad. im glad teaching predators to hunt them is working somewhat
Yes. It seems to be working 👍
that eel didnt give 2 shits about those spines. awesome job sirs keep up the good work
dacosta hamilton thank you!
because the eel is dead. spines are a weapon, wielded as such consciously, not some kind of poison on a poison dart frog or a mushroom or a monarch butterfly. There is only one great ocean which is completely interconnected. Lionfish are inevitable members of the ecosystem. killing them is nothing more than ignorant cruelty. Let nature handle it's own affairs.
@@wilsonblauheuer6544 This is very wrong, ocean are connected, but that doesn't mean that mediterranean fish such as Lion Fish can cross the Atlantic by themselves. Their presence is wrong and should be eliminated.
@@wilsonblauheuer6544 Related to the Scorpion Fish and Stone fish, the Lion (or Turkey) Fish are equipped with highly poisonous spines. Unless the eel has some sort of immunity to the toxins, it is likely dead too! Thanks to a few nitwits on a fun dive! I have dived around Okinawa and observed one of these docile creatures that was the size of a basketball from just four feet away. I guess they had some toys to play with and instead of being adults exposed their ignorance of nature!
@@Arlano76 I've encountered members of the entire Scorpion Fish family around Okinawa!
good job taking care of those pests
Thanks !
The variety and abundance of coral in that area is truly astounding. Thought those fish were poisonous?!
Yes, it's beautiful down there. Lionfish are venomous. However only in a few spines up and down. If those spines are removed, the fish is perfectly safe for human consumption.
Eels are immune to lionfish venomous.
Not as much as an indo pacific coral reef though
Title should read Feeding Eel with Fresh Catch.
I'll keep that in mind if I do another video 😉. Thanks!
Guess it crunched the spines
Like eating a porcupine wow💥
Yes. Like nothing...
WHEN AN EEL BITES YOUR KNEE
UNDERNEATH THE BLUE SEA
THAT'S A MORAY!
@01:35 seems to be an eel eating a lion fish but the camera doesn’t linger (or notice?)
I don't see it. What area of the screen are you seeing this?
Also they are good fish for human to eat . Heard that restaurants are encouraged to have them on the menu
Excellent fish to eat!!
Is that normal? Will the eel be ok? I know lion fish are invasive…at least that’s what I’ve heard. Who knows what you can believe anymore.
Eels are ok eating lionfish. They actually love them.
I would be curious if big groupers or moreys catch on faster to this training. Groupers are also being over fished in many areas that lionfish are a problem. Stressing the apex fish doesn't help the issue. Awesome vid. Healthy reef and you get to play with moreys. Im envious. :-)
Great video.
Do you think it hurt the eel by eating those spines?
No, they don't. Eels actually love it and come for more every time we dive which is kind of dangerous for divers; Eels star to associate divers with food (lionfish) and they want more.
It's hard for me to imagine how any predator eats one of those without getting stung to hell. Apparently they're learning.
I think some of the predators are immune 🙂
@@reduardocc hope they find each other hahaha
The eel is lucky that wasn't a Barbary Liger Fish.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Did they catch the lion fish specifically to feed it to the eel? Or did they drop the lion fish by accident and the eel just happened to be there and snatch it up?
On purpose
How do the predators of lionfish survive eating them? How do they avoid getting poisoned to death?
They have been doing that for years and years in the Indopacific ocean. They will do it here. It's Darwinism 😉
Apparently, the lion fish and all its spines and venom don’t bother the Moray?
That's correct!
Nice. He'll be shitting spines for weeks though lol
Lol
I actually did the same thing with a pole spear and while getting it off I barely pricked the palm of my hand with a top spine thru the gloves and almost had to abort my dive due to the pain.
Once I got back on the boat about 30min. later the pain just disappeared within 5 min. They are a really delicious white meat. you need at least 4-5 per person for a meal.
Wow you were lucky... the people that i know that were stang by lionfish, suffered for days, and some of them went to the hospital. You are obviously not allergic to their venom.
We typically prepare lionfish as a "ceviche". It's more convenient for sharing.
@@reduardocc I didnt get full penetration into my skin because of kevlar gloves. More of a skin prick. I remember thinking that glad it didnt go full in my skin. Taught me to have a little more respect.
Invasive species aside, this video should be called "Humans feed eel". It's misleading to think you're watching nature. Instead what you are watching is a grocery delivery.
Please Google "lionfish problem"
Are Lion Fish now on the Eels regular diet?
I don't have proof but I think they are. The lionfish population doesn't seem to be out of control as it was, so "someone" is taking care of them 😉
I want to see the moray eels face when he craps those Lion fish spines.
😄😄
Don't think he really needs your help there's plenty around for eel to catch and that's why they bite at other snorkelers unsuspecting on the hands passing by.
Eels and many other predators in the Atlantic ocean are not trained to hunt lionfish since they were just recently (early 2000s) introduced in these waters by mistake. That's why lionfish don't have natural predators in the Atlantic. Therefore they hunt and kill large quantities of other reef species putting in danger the entire ecosystem.
It is very important to hunt lionfish until natural predators develop.
Biologists, scientists, governments and the entire community are encouraging divers and fishermen to hunt lionfish along the Caribbean and surrounding waters.
Lionfish is an invasive species here and nothing eats them...someone please come kill the Lionfish.
Fish havin a hell of a day.
Glad to see lion fish does hv an enemy, I've heard a few times that they don't
We were having dinner with a DM friend and she served up Lionfish.
My wife watched everyone eat to see if anyone died before she ate
Lol. That's funny!
Does the eel burp or roar after ingesting the fish.
Not really; she likes her fish spicy!😉
Maybe a nice, long fart to make room for more diver-delivered treats.
Good job, eel!
seabed absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing
Indeed 😉
I've seen a video where the divers trained sharks to eat the lion fish, I believe it was in the Bahamas. Since they are not native the other fish do not see them as prey. Once trained the sharks would hunt them and since the lion fish are slow and don't try to swim away they were easy pickens.
That's correct. In fact, I recorded a video like that. It's in my channel. Look for it 😉
ua-cam.com/video/pNPnQWSGsYI/v-deo.html
Happy eel. I love lion fish meat also.
Delicious
Kind of like Doordash for eels!
Amazon Fresh 😄😄
Ingesting that lionfish was quite a job even for the morey. The eel fed upon a dead lionfish but actually hunting them seems more trouble than it's worth when easier prey is available.
It's not supposed to be here. Damn aquarium fish let go.
Why didn't you take it up and fillet it and eat it yourself? They are delicious!
We have done that too. Very delicious. However, this time we were trying to "teach" eels to like lionfish with the hope that some day they start to hunt them down by themselves which, at this point, I think it's already happening
The number of Lion fish is astounding.. wth?
It's fortunately getting a little bit under control
I think the fish would disagree as to who the invasive species is.
Of course
Will the potential predators develop immunity to the lion fish's venom? I have seen video of scorpionfish also devouring lionfish, sharks, large grouper, spines and all.
I think so. I see less and less lionfish lately. Predators might already be hunting them. I really hope so because we would stop hunting them. I would rather enjoy them as part of the ecosystem then hunting them trying to control their species.
When you swim past a place and an Eel bites your face ... thats A Moray .... !!!!
😄😄😄
do the spines not harm the eel?
Not at all. They actually like them very much and they ask for more
I remember when so called “walking catfish” first appeared in Florida. People thought they would eradicate many native species. They didn’t know Florida. There are critters in Florida that can kill anything. Now people are worried about Burmese Pythons and other invasive big snakes. The snakes are a challenge but I think there are a lot of alligators, gars, snapping turtles and other snakes, not to mention people, that will put up a good fight.
Totally agree with you
How does it get around the poisonous spines?
I think they are immune
Looks like the western Caribbean? Akumal Mexico?
Guánica, Puerto Rico
Are the eels immune to the lion fish poison?
Yes. They are.
So are sharks and some groupers
Yes
Won't the venom in the spines/ fins hurt the Moray?
It doesn't look like it affects them. We have seen the same eel asking for more lionfish every time we dive.
octodiver
It looks like the eel is stripping the meat from under the spines - could you look out for that on your next dive? Perhaps zoom in and get a close up or put the camera on s stick? Are they immune or do they despine first? Or both?
I saw a video that said they’re very tasty, and highly nutritious. And very beautiful, deadly and invasive..... they’d turned into quite the local delicacy.
@@russellhawkins366 I will. Thanks !
octodiver
Some species of Gymnothorax Moringa (Moray Eel) are “immune” to certain types of venom. A quick Google search should provide you with a few Zoological papers written about this in detail. Additionally, you can find several videos on UA-cam where eels and sea snakes are battling it out with the eel feeling little effect from the snake’s venom.
There have also been studies in regard to subcultures of Moray Eels actually being immune to Stonefish venom. Since both Stonefish and Lionfish are apart of the same Scorpaenidae culture/family it would follow that maybe the eel featured in the video here is, in fact, immune to the Lionfish’s venom.
Hope this helps and thanks for sharing the video! Cheers
The Morey eel's last name is Amsterdam
That's hilarious. Not sure many people will get the joke though
I know it loses its comedic or brilliance value but do you care to explain the joke for us non native English speakers? I suspect a wordplay of shorts
The correct name of the eel is Moray. Morey Amsterdam was a co-star in the early 1960's TV comedy series "The Dick Van Dyke Show".
@@kammeres61 I see, I've heard of that show, Thanks!
Yep, haven't heard that name in years, like 30 or 40
I thought lion fish where poisonous with there barbs to protect them
They are for most species!
So these thing are like the feral pigs of the sea?
Well, Lionfish are not as aggressive and dangerous to humans as feral pigs but they are an invasive species so they are (or were) growing without control. I believe that by now, there are new natural predators controlling lionfish population in the Caribbean so I think there is no need to hunt them anymore. 😉