Another Reason to Protect Sharks: Hunting Lionfish

By Shane Graber - Posted Apr 05, 2011 12:00 PM

Lionfish have gotten a lot of news lately due to their proliferation as a non-native species in the US waters and one marine park is attempting to teach sharks to prey on them in an attempt to control their numbers.

Another Reason to Protect Sharks: Hunting Lionfish

Lionfish Invasion: One More Reason To Protect Sharks; Photographer: Antonio Busiello

In the above photograph, a Caribbean reef shark races to swallow a lionfish in the Honduran Roatan Marine Park. Local divers there are working with the local shark population in hopes of teaching them that lionfish are a tasty treat -- with some success.

Antonio Busiello has a complete gallery photo-documenting their attempts with a number of exceptional shots of the work done to teach sharks to hunt the invasive species. They're a definite must-see.

(via National Geographic)