Grouper relentlessly attacks diver’s catch

The grouper really, really wanted that lionfish and wasn’t taking no for an answer. The grouper pulled the baggie from the diver’s hand three times. At one point, the diver attempted to push the grouper away, but the fish wouldn’t be denied.Little did the grouper know that the diver had actually caught the lionfish to feed to the grouper. Once the diver had the chance, he released the lionfish and the impatient grouper gulped it down.Paul Kim, who shot the video, told GrindTV via Break Clips that the invasive and destructive lionfish kill and maim reef fish and ruin the food chain, so divers take every opportunity to kill them,as is perfectly legal.

Diver is about to release the lionfish from the plastic baggie as the grouper awaits impatiently. Photo is a screen grab“The best way to dispose of them is to feed them to the native Nassau groupers who don’t see the lionfish as food, but are quickly learning to identify them as so,” Kim said. “We were just on a typical dive when a dive master happened to trap a lionfish and coax it into a plastic bag. The dive master swam around looking for a grouper to feed it to when one came out of the blue and snatched the bag from his hand.“When it happened I was nervous for the grouper’s life because the plastic would have killed him but was relieved after and glad the grouper ate the invasive lionfish.”Afterward, as it was digesting its meal, the grouper gladly allowed the diver to pet it. “Groupers are basically the puppies of the sea and love to be petted by divers,” Kim explained.And if you have a lionfish to feed it, so much the better.