Dive Pacific Iss 171 Oct- Nov 2019

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Fun facts What are the possible side effects if injury occurs? (1, 2, 9-13) Mild to medium side effects: Redness around site of injury, severe pain (immediate throbbing), swelling and possible discolouration of the skin where the injury occurred, pins and needles, dizziness or feeling faint (coupled with looking pale), nausea, sweating, and possibly bullae (type of blister) formation at site of stings. • Lionfish are suction feeders, feeding on crustaceans and fish mostly at dusk and dawn and use their cryptic nature to their advantage by ambushing their prey (32, 40-42). Research suggests cannibalism occurs, but this is linked to fish size and density within an area (43). • They can hover due to their specialized bilateral swim bladder muscles allowing them to alter their centre of gravity (the reason they are often seen upside down/head down). So they can orientate themselves strategically before striking their prey (44). Severe side effects: Delirium, seizures, anaphylactic shock (if stung more than once), limb paralysis, vomiting (watch out for dehydration) and shortness of breath. After several weeks you may feel a loss of sensation (anesthesia), abnormal perception of sensation (paresthesia), or an increase in sensation (hypesthesia). Local necrosis (dead tissue) at site of injury could occur. • Lionfish can produce jets of water in the direction of their prey when stalking which are thought to confuse or distract the prey, and make them orientate head-first for an easy swallow (8). • Lionfish fins give the illusion the fish is larger than it actually is. Specifically their pectoral fins allow it to ‘herd’ potential prey into areas of no escape. They also have been seen to team up to hunt and alternate the fish that gets to strike and eat the prey (45). Their pectoral fins also are handy for flushing benthic invertebrates out of substrates by palpation (applying pressure to determine if invertebrates are present in the substrates) (46). • Research has described distinct vocalization of lionfish. They make different calls when alone (repetitive pulsecalls), or together (multiple fish vocalize concurrently with less rapid repetitive pulse-calls at a lower frequency), or when agitated (hum call) (47). It is thought this calling may have be to do with seeking a friend to hunt… • They occupy a wide range of thermal environments, from 13 to 32°C. But about 23°C suits best. They have been found at depths greater than 75 m (29, 32) too which means they populate a range of habitats including reefs, mangroves, soft bottoms, nearshore seagrass beds and near estuaries (28, 29). • The bacterial community found on lionfish skin is diverse and is capable of producing antibacterial metabolites and thus help defend the lionfish from fish pathogens (the bacteria promotes disease resistance to its host) (30). • Tagged lionfish movement records show they tend to move relatively little depending on the lionfish density in the area, body size and seascape structure (41). • They can change their physiology to meet their energy demands, for eg lowering their metabolism when food is scarce (31, 32). Actions to take: Firstly, it is important to get the diver out of the water as soon as possible after injury. Pain will be most severe an hour to an hour and a half after the venom has been injected and persist for 6-12 hours or longer. The persistent pain is likely due to the fact that the toxin cannot be inactivated immediately after injury has occurred. Immersing the affected area in hot water, no more than 45°C for 30-60 minutes will help neutralize the toxin and provide relief. If the spine and/ sheath is embedded it should be removed. But when cleaning the wound use warm saline solution as alcohol based solutions may cause further tissue damage. The wound will need to drain so should be left open. It is always advisable to consult a doctor and wise to make sure that tetanus protection is up to date (Clostridium tetani, the bacterium responsible for tetanus, can be found in marine sediments. Better safe than sorry!). 40 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
Sleeping like a Weddell by Ralf Schneider Highly Commended 2019, Black and White reaching up to 3.5 metres, with the females somewhat larger than the males. Lying on fast ice (attached to land) off Larsen Harbour, South Georgia, this Weddell Seal was relatively safe from its predators – killer whales and leopard seals – and so could completely relax and digest. Weddell seals populate inshore habitats around the Antarctic continent, They can descend to more than 500 metres and stay under water for long periods, sometimes more than an hour. Canon EOS 7D Mark II + 100–400mm f4.5–5.6 lens at 400mm; 1/500 sec at f8; ISO 400. Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2019 images go on display The world-renowned World Wildlife Photographer of the Year display opens this month at London’s Natural History Museum. The exhibition showcases the world's best nature photography and photojournalism is in its 55th year. Again this year Dive Pacific publishes a selection of highly commended images relating to the oceans, among them a black & white photo of a Weddell seal described by Chair of the competition jury Roz Kidman Cox, as 'a portrait of pure, relaxed bliss', and a black water photo by Fabien Michenet who we featured in our last issue. The overall winners will be announced on 15 October with the exhibition opening on October 18th. Winning images are selected for their creativity, originality, technical excellence. This year's competition attracted 48,000 entries from professionals and amateurs in 100 countries. Just 100 images made it to the exhibition. Dr Tim Littlewood, Director of Science at the Natural History Museum and member of the judging panel, said “We hope this year's exhibition will empower people to think differently about our planet and our critical role in its future.” After the flagship exhibition the images go on a UK and international tour. Facebook: www.facebook.com/wildlifephotographeroftheyear Twitter: @NHM_WPY Instagram: @nhm_wpy Hashtag: #WPY55 The 56th Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition (for 2020) will open for entries on Monday 21st October 2019 and close at 11.30am GMT on Thursday 12 December 2019. Its open to everyone - the competition welcomes entries from photographers of all ages and abilities: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/wpy/competition.html www.dive-pacific.com 41
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Dive Pacific Iss 171 Oct- Nov 2019

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