FISH

Our condo is about fifty paces from the ocean.  We have a pier that goes about a hundred feet into the water. 

At the end of the pier there is a school of several thousand fish. 

There are Red Snapper, silver fish with a black split tail called Jacks, and some called Grunts because they make a funny noise when you catch them, and Angel fish.  All of these are from about eight inches to twelve inches long.  They should be bigger but there are so many that I don’t see how they can find enough food to survive let alone grow. 

Because of this school of fish there are also Barracuda that feed on them.   We saw Tarpon, Manta Ray, and Bone fish off the end of the dock the other evening as well.  (People come from around the world to catch the Bone fish.  They are supposed to be stronger per inch than any other fish.  Many people use fly rods to catch them.  They do not eat them, only catch and release.) 

Not only is the variety of fish amazing but the quantity is as well.  The last several weeks we have been having Sardines by the tens of thousands.  They are caught in nets commercially and also  used by the fishermen for bait.   Our neighbor caught some the other day off the dock for us to use.

One of the guys who works at the tour company next door threw out his net from his boat and caught so many Sardines he could not lift the net.  He had to release some of the fish in order to get the net into the boat.

The Pelicans love the Sardines also.  They fly overhead until they see some in the water and then they dive and scoop them up in their large bills.

After they finish eating, they come and relax on our dock.

Our friends went out in their boat fishing for Grouper.  They were gone for only a couple hours and came home with some really nice fish.

Here is a thirty two pound Wahoo.  These fish can get up to eighty pounds and they have a Wahoo contest each year.

This fish is called a Lion fish.  It is pretty in the water but it has spines, or fins, that are poisonous.  Thye are not good to eat and are abrasive to the reef.  They have no natural enemy so it is encouraged to catch or spear these fish to get rid of them.

Every night at some time you see Tarpon come to the end of our dock.  I took pictures of them the other night.  Although they are about four feet long I had to use a flash in order for them to show.  When I looked at the picture it appeared as though their eyes were glowing.  Kinda eerie.

Overall, if you like fish, this is a great place to be.