located 250 miles south of Cancun and 40
nautical miles of the eastern coast of
Mexico nestled any protective barrier
reef this tiny island chain is home to
over 500 of the most genetically pure
crocodiles on earth join us as we
venture into the pristine waters of the
Caribbean to explore the fascinating
world of the crocodiles of Banco
Chinchorro in this episode we'll learn
how crocodiles and local fishermen have
coexisted for generations and see the
invasive species that threatens their
way of life
with hundreds of saltwater crocodiles
lurking below the surface it's hard to
imagine that anything more frightening
could be in these waters but that's not
the scariest thing down here lionfish
look pretty cool but they're an invasive
species and they can completely destroy
this habitat I'm not a hunter but when
the target is invasive I'll make the
exception lionfish are native to
Southeast Asia and Australia but they've
become trendy pets in America as their
popularity spread westward some pet
owners released them into the wild where
they quickly disrupted the ecological
balance lionfish are prolific breeders a
single female can lay two million eggs a
year and they're incredibly destructive
with no natural predators they can
consume nearly 80 percent of the reefs
juvenile fish and crustaceans in
addition lionfish aren't a common food
source so there are little use to the
local fisherman on top of everything
else their elusive
I didn't think spearing a lionfish could
be so hard but I guess you don't get to
be an invasive species by being easy to
kill crocodiles are like caretakers
they're the keepers of the reef a job
they've perfected over millions of years
but lionfish are pervasive and the Crocs
can use all the help they can get
efforts are underway to promote lionfish
as a delicacy scientists are looking for
solutions an annual fishing contest put
a small dent in their numbers
and the ecotourism industry is helping
to for generations
the local fishermen have lived in
harmony with the crocodiles the sound of
the chopping block is like a dinner bell
as the fishermen cleaned the daily catch
the Crocs gather for the scraps using
lionfish caught specifically for this
purpose we modeled that time-honored
relationship to get a closer look
handling a lionfish is tricky
after the venomous spines are removed
guy who showed me his technique looks
simple but all you have to do and have
to do it right goes to the head like a
well feed before you reach the head and
then just put it back
and this is all to catch the attention
at the crocodile I'm gonna try it now
okay classics
ah perfecto
holy poet my fingers are just doing this
catching lionfish for the Crocs is a
win-win eco tourism dollars help protect
banco chinchillas fragile habitat the
numbers of lionfish are reduced and the
Crocs get a tasty treat
you