Teaching Sharks (and Eels) to Attack Invasive Lionfish 

No lionfish were harmed in the making of this video.

Alternate Title: Sharks learn to eat with a fork.

This is the equivalent of aliens coming from space to feed us cheeseburgers

Always amazes me how fast sharks can be. They can look so sluggish patrolling the reef, but they’re capable of such bursts of speed

Meanwhile in Sharktube and Eeltube: Making humans think we don't know how to catch fish to get free food

„Mum I dont like spicy food.“ „Shut up baby and say thank you to the nice man who gave you the free lionfish.“

Shark: too good to be true! Now we have human waiters serving diner ?

I think this is a great way to introduce new predators to lionfish- but my second thoughts was a negative thing to come from this technique unfortunately is that it also teaches the sharks to come to divers for food, which we all know that teaching wild animals to associate humans with food is dangerous. I hate to say that it could potentially lead to bites by hungry sharks who think that humans = free food.

It's cool to see how the sharks try to get a good angle on the fish before biting it. They're such good boys.

I like how almost all the sharks start off politely swimming past you not getting in the way, and then stop and go "oh hey is that for me?" and come back lol

Lionfish: I have venomous spines that kill anyone that touches it, no one would ever dare to eat me! Sharks: Okay, and?

I knew the eels could eat them, but I'm glad to hear the sharks are immune to their poison too. Edit: Apparently I never heard that these fish are venomous and not poisonous.

Lionfish: "being an invasive specie without any natural predator" Humans: Say "ahh" Shark: AHHHHHH

I was diving off Cayman Brac and I'm convinced that sharks, eels and barracuda know what a spear is. We were constantly followed by a combination of all three, and our guide speared 32 lionfish in a week. Not one of them went to waste.

Shark in movie : brutal and menace Shark irl : hey water monkey, what's your offer? May i have pet as well?

Aren’t they covered in venomous barbs?

So we got a good news and bad news situation. Good news: humans have begun serving up food on forks for us! Bad news: they're feeding us the ugliest shit in the ocean.

Shark and Eel: *dangery predators* Human: *gib free food* Shark and Eel: *cats and dogs of 22nd century*

I'm not a fan of seafood, but seeing all of the sharks and barracuda's happily chomping down on lionfish somewhat makes me tempted to try out lionfish for myself.

Nature never stops being so beautiful and utterly terrifying

I'm just waiting for PETA to criticize the eradication of harmful invasive species

That probably the shark equivalent to eating a burrito from Chipotle, probably had the shits for days.

Probably the dopest thing I’ve witnessed on YT. No way I’d be ready to do this

I find it so cool how moray eels squish their prey by tying themselves into a knot and dragging the victim through.

the chaotic lawful equivalent of "florida person training squirrels to attack people"

I have seen this done many times with sharks and eels as well as big groupers and snappers. Nevertheless, in those areas, you still see lionfish hanging out in the open with all of those other critters swimming around. My conclusion is that they will eat lionfish if someone disables them or puts them in a vulnerable position, but otherwise will wait for the divers to do it. In one place in the Turks & Caicos, the big Nassau groupers will come out to meet divers and take them to the lionfish, pointing them out like bird dogs. They typically select a diver who has something in his/her hand that looks like a weapon, and will try to persuade him/her to go get them a lionfish. I have seen only one instance of a grouper grab an healthy lionfish. That was when i went into a tight little cave and, leaving my attendant grouper at the opening, scared a lionfish out right into the groupers mouth. The grouper seemed quite satisfied with itself, but still followed me around begging me to hunt for more.

Very smart on your part. Very smart

the sudden burst of speed from that last shark was actually terrifying

Hi, marine biology major here. This is a great example of biological control! The only thing I would say is harmful about this method is that it teaches sharks that humans = food, and lead to sharks biting humans or showing aggression towards humans. Then, people assume sharks are inherently bad or harmful creatures when in reality, we taught them to be that way!! This is why reef sharks tend to swim around/up to divers expecting food from them. I would probably recommend killing the lionfish, releasing them from the spear, and then letting the sharks go at them. That way, there's a degree of separation there.

This is actually a really smart idea- Since the Lionfish doesn't have any predators in the areas it's invasive if you teach the ones that can eat it to eat it then they'll really get hunting down the population!

Great Job !!! This needs to happen as much as possible and maybe We could end up with a breakeven population of these Invasive eating machines.

Amazing! Fantastic work, thank you for doing this!

Everyone, take a minute to learn from the experts in the comment section.

Shark: Why is it spicy

Two thumbs up. Thank you for you're work.

No tenía conocimiento de que este pez fuera una especie invasora y problemática, yo soy de España y este pez sólo lo encuentras como mascota en tienda, pero me encanta como habéis hecho del problema una solución, enseñando a las especies locales a devorarlos y como es un pez lento es una comida fácil! Bravo

*Lionfish have no predators, they said.*

It’s so adorable how careful and worried the sharks are like “uhm? Human? Are you sure I can have this? Do you want me to eat this? Thank you human! Weeeeeeee........*off into distance*”

I love the videos showing people in boats chumming the water so people in cages can get up and close to creatures like the great white sharks. I especially like the part where they get these really big sharks to associate boats and human shapes in the water with getting easy food.

Lionfish: Why do I hear boss music that sounds like Doom music?

lionfish: *exists* Humans, Sharks and eels: I'm 'bout to end this man's whole career

Shark after eating a small pincushion: ”something don’t feel right”

I find it wild how the shark snaps from just floating around being a meat slab in the water to instant kill mode

How the hell do y’all stay afloat with those balls of titanium

I don't get it. Why won't they just build a wall?

2:38 holy shit that’s fast

That shark at 2:10 is so gentle, it's like "woa, for me? thank you, don't mind if I do"

This is very very smart wildlife management. I love this type of innovation.

Poor sharko getting dupped into noming a spicy boi

Why did you really badly edit fake teeth into the shark in the thumbnail😂😂

Thank you so much for doing what you could for our marine ecosystem.

0:47 - This eel is like: WTF are you land animals doing here?

Man, those lionfish are some great actors it feels like they are being eaten for real....... oh wait

2:38 DID YOU SEE HOW FAST THAT SHARK DARTED AWAY JHEEZE

Sensational work lads...

What a great idea! Thanks Mr Eel and thank you Mr Shark for getting rid of an invasive species.

I'm starting to really like reef sharks; they're not (as) intimidating, very docile (compared to other sharks), and in this case extremely helpful.

You can see an immediate increase in the shark's speed the moment the lionfish gets speared. There ability to detect that kind of thing is incredible!

diver "this thing's kinda spiny tho" shark: "ya in da carribean mon! we like dem spicy!"

Lionfish: I HAVE VENOMOUS SPINE MUHAHAHAHA Sharks, Eels and groupers: ok, and?

Ah I see how predators learn to eat them without their spines getting in the way. Theyre fed the lionfish at a certain angle where they have the spines facing away and their weak spot faced towards the predator. I saw a video of a grouper eating a lionfish that was free swimming and it kept on analyzing it and charged at the weak spot..probably been taught how to eat it

"ight bro, so i'll give ya free lessons and some free food, just don't eat me k?" "deal"

That last shark said some 0-60 in 0.3 seconds 😂

Teaching sharks to scalp from Spearfishing people...the locals are gonna 'love' you . . . .

Sharks sure can move fast if they want to, scary.

Do you even play hungry shark world?

Amazing work guys

I love how the shark’s teeth were edited on in the thumbnail

No natural predators? Problem solved. Brilliant

This might actually work. The last time I went diving in the open, we were around a coral reef and saw several lionfish when out from under one of the reef rocks (I think a black tip) and started to tear apart the lionfish. We couldn't figure it out. This might be the reason, though what is shown a different species of shark others could be teaching different shark species the same. Groupers have already been eating lionfish for a while now, yes, this could possible work.

Ok, subbed. I see that you gave numerous scuba vids. Watching some...

Thank you!

YOU GET A LION FISH AND YOU GET A LION FISH

Lion fish: natural predators? No Humans: hold my beer...

Shark: Thanks for the offer! (picks fish graciously and swims away) Eel: GRAOARRR GNIAMGH!

This would be a fantastic D&D quest for a druid or a ranger.

I love how these fish just happily accept help from humans.

The sharks looked so harmless it made me fear less of them 😀

Awesome. Good work!

They're like "WOW, thanks for the easy catch, you strange looking fish!

0:30 awww he acts like a fussy kid, so cuteeee :)

This is fucking awesome work!

This is an Awesome example of how mother nature can work for us instead of against us

Are there any harmful effects on the sharks and eals from eating those poisoned spines?

Make the sea great again!

Using a native animal to get rid of an invasive species is an amazing thing to watch. Helping nature hold its balance.

Is there an update on how these efforts have held up? Would love to know for a paper I'm typing.

Remember that Javier Bardem speech in Skyfall? We should trap a bunch of sharks in one place with nothing but lionfish to eat. Once they start to eat them without having to be fed, release them. Same with groupers and eels. “Now they no longer eat coconut. Now they only eat rat.” Of course, I wouldn’t want it to get so far to the point where they only eat lionfish but I suspect that something we won’t have to worry about.

Please keep doing this for the sake of our oceans!

Great thumbnail love the use of MSpaint for the teeth

"See? I told you not eating them would pay off in the end"

Reef sharks are so nice man. I wish I had like a 40,000gallon fish tank for one or even two of these awesome animals.

Correct title: Teaching Sharks and Eels that Humans bring food....

That thumbnail has the greatest photoshop skills ever seen in all of history

This is really cool.

So do the poison spines not work after their dead? What about when the fish is in its digestive track will the poison still not affect or activate within?

0:45 EEEEEEEEEEEEE

Sharkie: Need floss, there's something stuck in my teeth, plus, I don't feel so good.

i could watch that forever.

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