Throughout the month of April 2012 more than one billion people around the globe will participate in Earth Day 2012 and help Mobilize the Earth™. People of all nationalities and backgrounds will voice their appreciation for the planet and demand its protection. Together we will stand united for a sustainable future and call upon individuals, organizations, and governments to do their part.

Scubafish are always happy for an opportunity to organise community conservation events and this year, in partnership with Pimalai Resort & Spa we will be hosting an Underwater clean-up or Dive Against Debris at Ko Haa within the Lanta National Marine Park on April 25th.

If you are ready and willing to take action then we let us pack your dive gear bag and come along!

Date: April 25th
Time: 08:00 – 15:00- Dive Against Debris (2 dives at Ko Haa)

After the dives we are also proud to be hosting the Kantiang Beach and Village Clean-up for all those volunteers who may not have their sea legs.

Date: April 25th
Time: 16:30 – 17:30 – Beach & Kantiang Village Clean Up

All data will be recorded and reported to Project AWARE in an effort to measure the influx of marine related debris and it’s origins.

Following all the hard work all volunteers will receive a free t-shirt and are welcome to join the local community and businesses make the most of the beautifully clean beach for an hour of fun Beach Olympics (with some really quite silly games planned!)

If you can’t be here but would like to act then perhaps you would join us in taking action and sign the petition to save sharks now. Together, we can create a powerful, collective voice to lead global grassroots change.

“Okay, I’m thinking of something orange, and it’s small, and has stripes…”

said Dory in Finding Nemo.

Scubafish met the answer in the shape of 200 tiny clownfish on April 2nd !

One of the privileges of Scubafish joining forces with the prestigious Pimalai Resort & Spa (in the guise of Scubafish @ Pimalai) has been the eagerly awaited 8th Annual Clownfish Release Project.

Funded by Khun Anurat Tiyaphorn (the owner of Pimalai), and under the guidance of Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat (Head of the Department of Marine Sciences at Kasetsart University) and his team, as well as the Thai Department of Fisheries, more than 70 divers and snorkellers boarded MV Ja Ru Pat accompanied by 200 clownfish and 50 seahorses.

Over the 3 days preceeding the event itself Dr Thorn, his team, and Scubafish staff had been preparing and placing temporary refuge and protection cages around appropriate anemones at varying depths on Ko Haa Neung ready for this big day.

Dr Thorn kicked off the journey out with an introductory briefing about the project, it’s origins, history and aims. (Please refer to previous article for further details) As we neared Ko Haa our snorkel guests jumped into action, transferring between 4-6 tiny clownfish (each less than an inch in size) in to bags for the divers to take on to the reef at Ko Haa Neung. Adults and children alike were involved in bagging the fish… with everyone eager and excited to participate.

Each group of divers was assigned one marine scientist and one Scubafish dive team member, in line with their experience and certification level from experienced divers through to open water students (with assistance). These groups were tasked with opening and securing the cages and releasing one bag of clownfish per protected anemone. This did not prove to be as easy as one might think! A number of these rather fast clownfish managed to escape the cages during the release and securing stages, and had to be hand caught and placed back in their refuge. Predatory wrasse were also very interested in our efforts, and needed shooing away during the release!

A well-deserved and highly anticipated lunch of abundant and delicious food prepared by the Pimalai Resort Chefs was served and savored whilst we re-filled the tanks, and were briefed for the second dive of the day.

Fully satiated, our snorkellers and the kids stepped up again volunteering to bag up juvenile seahorses in preparation for their release on dive 2. This was not an easy feat either, with a number of the seahorses having linked their tails together, and not wanting to detach!

This dive involved both caged and natural release of the seahorses by experienced level divers. In both instances the diver releasing the seahorse had to wait and ensure that the seahorse had anchored on and attached itself by it’s tail to the release site before moving along. Again there were a few reluctant and less willing seahorses amongst the groups… especially amongst those being naturally released. A few would only briefly attach and then float around freely – in full view of hungry groupers! Patience was the key, and we will be checking back regularly to see how they are faring (Fingers and fins crossed).

All volunteers and participants enjoyed this special, rewarding and fun event, and it was truly a joy to see so many broad child-like smiles and grins amongst guests of all ages. Scubafish would like to thank each person that took part on the day, as well as Pimalai Resort staff, Dr Thorn and his team of fun-loving scientists – next year’s release cannot come quickly enough!

Why not ask to visit the release site at Ko Haa on your next trip and take a look for yourself!

Scubafish are delighted to be supporting Pimalai’s 8th Clownfish Release Project event on 2nd April 2012 at Ko Haa. This year, Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat and his team of marine scientists, plan to release 200 Western Clownfish and are extending their project to include 50 Seahorses to release at Island #1 and #6 at popular local dive site, Ko Haa.

Anurat Tiyaphorn, owner of Pimalai Resort & Spa proudly announced;

“After 7 years of experiment and numerous learning experiences we are proud that by 2010 we had successfully helped to restock the waters around Koh Haa with a sustainable population of little orange ‘Nemos’ (aka clownfish).

We are now ready for the next big step. This year Dr. Thorn and his team, together with volunteer divers and representatives of Pimalai Resort & Spa and Scubafish Dive Centre, will release juvenile yellow seahorses to join their clownfish cousins around the divesites at Ko Haa.”

The Clownfish Release Project, which started back in 2002, has two main aims; to research and improve techniques for reintroducing marine life bred in nurseries back into ocean environments, and to raise awareness about marine conservation, education and preservation, specifically relating to poaching for aquarium sales.

The clownfish is a small species of fish that is found around tropical coral reefs. The most commonly known species of clownfish is orange with white markings but clownfish can be found in many different colours and can also differ in shape. In the wild, clownfish are said to live for six-eight years, and they grow up to only three to five inches!

There are 28 recognised species of clownfish, seven of which can be found in Thailand. The clown fish is also found as far north as the Red Sea and inhabits the Great Barrier Reef, on the Australian east coast.

Due to their small size, clown fish are preyed upon by a number of predators but can be difficult to catch and they often retreat into the safety of the sea anemone. Large species of fish, sharks and eels are the main predators of the clown fish in the water but the human is the biggest overall threat to the clown fish as they are caught to keep in tanks and aquariums.

The clownfish rose to international fame and stardom in the popular animated movie ‘Finding Nemo’. Fish shops, aquariums and clownfish breeders reported significant increases in clownfish sales and demand.

It is indeed a sad irony, observed Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, head of the Department of Marine Sciences at Kasetsart University, that the success of a movie which tried to spread the message that clownfish should be left in peace has actually stimulated demand for them as pets, to the point where the very survival of the species is now at risk.

Khun Anurat’s daughter, who is also a keen marine conservationist, felt compelled to take part in the Clownfish Release Project right from the start;

“We started our Nemo project not knowing how difficult it was to return something back to nature whose existence we had always taken for granted. The World’s famous ‘Finding Nemo’ movie led to the rapid increase in demand to catch clownfish and sell them as pet fish. Clownfish are not funny and neither is the fact that, all the clownfish in the Ko Haa area, were caught and sold to fish markets as cheaply as 10 Baht each!”

Khun Anurat’s daughter was heartbroken to learn that all the Nemos were cruelly caught and sold and felt that, not only should something be done to increase the numbers of clownfish in the Ko Haa area, but that by demonstrating to the world that she was on the side of Mother Nature, she could also help to educate people to know that it requires a lot of sweat, time, patience, education and resources to successfully return fish (and seahorses) to their traditional homes.

The first few years of the Clownfish Release Project saw Dr Thorn’s team introduce several thousand clownfish into the reefs around Ko Haa.

The team assumed that the fish would have a natural instinct to find a safe haven in the ocean, but this was not the case! Many larger fish enjoyed a free snack.

The next approach was to provide a temporary refuge for the clownfish while they were released. The clownfish were introduced to their new home in a temporary wire-net basket, sized so that the clownfish could swim in and out of, but that prevented predators from gaining entry. The baskets were placed near to anemones so that the clownfish could also shelter within the anemone tendrils.

Clownfish and sea anemones provide a great number of benefits for one another – anemones protect clownfish from predators, as well as providing food through the scraps left from the anemones’ meals. In return, clownfish protect anemones by dining on invasive parasites that could harm the anemones.

Dr Thorn has seen a marked improvement in the success of repopulating Ko Haa with clownfish over the last few years and believes that with further research and monitoring, he and his team can continue to repopulate tropical coral reefs with marine species that may be in decline.

“We have obtained partial success in reintroducing clownfish into the waters around Hoh Haa but we will need to further monitor the population of these fish and their survival rate before we can say “we won – job done”.”

Globally, seahorse populations are thought to have been endangered in recent years by overfishing and habitat destruction. Seahorses are the main ingredients in traditional Chinese herbology, and as many as 20 million seahorses are caught each year and sold for this purpose.

Again, in cooperation with Dr Thorn and the Department of Fisheries, Pimalai and Scubafish are pleased to participate in an attempt to protect and enhance the seahorse population near Ko Haa.

The release is scheduled to be on Monday 2 April 2012. For divers who are interested in volunteering to help in the release, please contact diving@pimalai.com The boats will leave from Pimalai Resort & Spa jetty at 08:00am. Limited space is available!!

Scubafish is delighted to announce that we have taken a bold step forward in our ongoing commitment to support the Project Aware movement of scuba divers protecting the ocean planet – one dive at a time.

As of today (23 Feb 2012), Scubafish will make a donation of AUD$10 towards ocean protection on behalf of each and every student we certify by issuing the Project Aware card for every dive certification that we process.

Scubafish is 100% Committed to Ocean Protection

100% AWARE donations will target protection for the world’s most threatened shark species and the removal and prevention of marine debris from treasured underwater environments. Together we can make ocean protection a reality.

Here at Scubafish in Ko Lanta, we certify hundreds of scuba divers each year, so our involvement in the 100% Aware program represents a substantial investment on our part in the work being done by Project AWARE.

We strongly believe conserving the marine environment is our responsibility as leaders in the diving community and this is just one more way we can help and show our commitment to our marine environment.

What does this mean for our divers?

For our diving guests and PADI Course students, this means lots of great things:

• When you complete a PADI Dive Course, you’ll automatically be issued with the latest Project AWARE certification card (rather than the standard issue PADI card)
• Scubafish will donate AUD$10 to Project Aware projects on behalf of each any every one of our students
• Each time you take a PADI Dive Course, you will be helping in the movement to address two major ocean issues – Sharks in Peril and Marine Debris

Did you know:

• Less than 1% of our ocean is protected
• 7% of all PADI divers choose to support ocean protection initiatives by making a minimum donation to receive the Project AWARE version of their PADI certification card
• AWARE cards are Project Aware’s largest fundraising effort

The Project Aware movement focuses on two major ocean issues – Sharks in Peril and Marine Debris, or trash in our ocean.

There are many conservation issues converging on our ocean planet at once, but by concentrating on these serious problems where scuba divers are uniquely positioned to directly and positively affect real, long-term change, we hope to be able to make a positive, tangible difference in these two areas.

The Tech on Tour team (Tony Andrews, Regional Manager for PADI Asia Pacific and Tech Diving Guru, Ben Reymenants from Blue Label Diving) arrived at Scubafish, literally laden down with Tech Gear and Goodies, ready to get kitted up for Ko Lanta’s first ever, Tech on Tour Event, to be hosted at Lanta’s premier 5-star resort Pimalai Resort & Spa.

In the Krabi/Ko Lanta area of Thailand, with long coastlines that face the southern Andaman Sea, there are a wealth of superb Tech diving spots, including deep fresh water caves and wreck dives. For PADI, this is the first tour of its kind in Thailand and aims to reach out to all their divers who would like to extend their limits and for whom ‘one tank is not enough’, and are keen to experience a deeper, darker adventure.

After a short introduction and presentation, Ben demonstrated the various equipment involved with some of the most taught and most popular Tech courses – Sidemounts, Rebreathers and Twin Sets. Aspiring Techies were then invited to participate in Tech ‘Try Dives’ in the pool, to learn, practice and master various skills associated with these courses, before being tested on how well they’d taken the newly acquired skills on board.

The Sidemount option was a clear winner amongst everyone who took part, with an impromptu, almost ballet-like, underwater show emerging as the ease of use and fun element became apparent to all who were able to try them out.

The feedback from the groups was that the Sidemounts were extremely comfortable, fun and easy to use, enabling flexible and fluid movements in the water. Buoyancy with this unit was also very easy to control and master. The majority of our aspiring Techies are now eagerly anticipating the launch of the new PADI Sidemount course.

The Twin Sets seemed to be the most difficult to become accustomed to, being at times a bit uncomfortable and bulky, and making buoyancy relatively difficult to control. However, it was generally agreed that given a bit more time, practice and patience, these units could also be mastered.

The Rebreather was very popular, with buoyancy being a little difficult to master at first, but generally the unit was found to enable good fluid motion in the water with the clear added benefit of enabling longer and almost silent dives.

In confined shallow water, it is understandably more difficult to grasp a truly reflective overall feel of each of these units, compared to the greater depths of the open water, and more extensive training and development opportunities. However, for the majority, the chance to try these units on a rotation, with one on one (or sometimes even two on one) personal instruction, was an extremely well appreciated opportunity, and has now firmly opened the doorway to the Tec side of diving.

In collaboration with Pimalai, we hope to host a further ‘Go Tech’ Event towards the end of April, with more ‘Discover Tech’ try dives in the pool, and further presentations and demonstrations on the most updated information on the latest PADI TecRec Sidemount and Rebreather courses.

PADI and Ben look forward to meeting and greeting as many avid Tech enthusiasts as possible, and also those that are looking to cross over to ‘the dark side’. Even if you’ve only ever thought about Tech fleetingly, come and check out some of the events and presentations and you just might surprise yourself!

As many of you may have seen in the domestic and international news Thailand has been effected over the past few weeks by extreme flooding and weather. The severity od this situation is very unusual and is the worst that Bangkok and surrounding areas have experienced in decades.

There have been some dramatic scenes in many areas of the country, with provinces effected including those to the North, Bangkok, and the lower central plains. Obviously our thoughts go out to all those effected.

Ko Lanta is fortunately unaffected throughout this time. In fact the monsoon winds have changed quite early this year and we are experiencing high season conditions.

The weather on Lanta has been hot, sunny and clear for the last 2 weeks and is beautiful once more. The dive boats on the island are operating as normal again already, and we are happy to report our boats are departing and returning from Kantiang Bay already. Diving conditions are highly favourable with flat and calm seas. Just this last week at Hin Muang with a whaleshark and manta ray were spotted together. Glasssfish and the predating trevallies abound at Ko Haa, and even the ornate ghost pipefish and frogfish are making an early return to the lagoon area.

We are also happy to report that guests and visitors coming to or from Lanta to Krabi have had no problems with their transfers or journeys.

Should you have any concerns which are not addressed here, please contact us and we would be happy to provide you with, “up-to-the-minute, on-the-ground” reports.

PADI’s Tech on Tour in Thailand – the first event of its kind, is designed to introduce PADI’s Technical Diving ‘PADI TecRec‘ to recreational and professional divers in a hands-on, dynamic & innovative way.

Diving guests as well as staff at a few lucky PADI 5-Star Dive Centres in Thailand will have a chance to get wet and get tech with the latest PADI TecRec gear. Anyone, who can get to one of the Tech on Tour in Thailand events, will have the chance to get kitted up for a free tech try-dive and get familiar with techie equipment like Sidemounts, Rebreathers and Twin Sets.

PADI Regional Manager Tony Andrews has teamed up with long standing Tech veteran and guru Ben Reymenants and his company Blue Label Diving, a leader in the Technical Diving scene in Phuket, to tour southern Thailand next month. They plan to visit Ao Nang, Koh Lanta and Krabi with the aim of expanding the technical diving market in Thailand and spreading the word that Tech Diving is both fun and accessible to divers interested in diving deeper and going beyond recreational scuba diving limits.

The tour will run from the 18th-21st November and is the first event of its kind to be run by PADI anywhere in the world.

Tech on Tour kicks off in Ko Lanta at the stunning, upper-level, infinity poolside location, at Pimalai Resort & Spa. Pimalai has very generously extended the offer to “get wet and get tech with the latest PADI TecRec gear” to anyone and everyone who is interested to get in on the tec action! Divers and dive staff from all over the island are invited to join the hotel guests and their in-resort dive centre; Scubafish At Pimalai, to join in the fun.

PADI Tech on Tour – poolside demonstration of Tech Diving Equipment at Pimalai. 2-5pm at the top Pimalai Pool.
Park at the main carpark and use the stairs up to the pool (follow the signs!).
All welcome

What is Technical Diving?

Technical scuba diving is defined as diving other than conventional commercial or research diving that takes divers beyond recreational scuba diving limits.

It is further defined as; and includes one or more of the following:

• diving beyond 40 metres/130 feet deep
• required stage decompression
• diving in an overhead environment beyond 40 linear metres/130 linear feet of the surface
• accelerated decompression and or the use of variable gas mixtures during the dive

Because in technical diving the surface is effectively inaccessible in an emergency, tec divers use extensive methodologies and technologies and training to manage the added risks. Even with these, however, tec diving admittedly has more risk, potential hazard and shorter critical error chains than does recreational scuba diving.

Technical diving is scuba diving’s “extreme” sport, taking experienced and qualified divers far deeper than in mainstream recreational diving. Technical diving is marked by significantly more equipment and training requirements to manage the additional hazard this type of diving entails. Tec diving isn’t for everyone, but for those who hear its challenge call, the PADI TecRec courses are the answer.

Why would I want to be a Tech Diver?

Tec diving not only has more risk, but it requires significantly more effort, discipline and equipment. It’s not for everyone, and you can be an accomplished, avid top-notch diver your entire life without making a tec dive.

That said, there’s a cadre of individuals who want to visit places underwater that relatively few people can. Many spectacular, untouched wrecks lie at depths well below 40 metres/130 feet. Deep reefs have organisms you don’t find in the shallows. Some people enjoy the challenge and focus tec diving requires. Still others love being involved with cutting edge technologies. These reasons make tec diving rewarding.

The PADI TecRec Difference

The TecRec program debuted in 2000. Although TecRec is not the first tec diving program (cave diver training has been around for decades), it repeatedly receives accolades for its merits.

TecRec courses are integrated into an instructionally valid, seamless course flow that takes you from beginning tec diver to one qualified to the outer reaches of sport diving using different gas mixes.
Each level introduces you to new gear, planning and procedures appropriate to extend your diving limits.

The Tec Diver course is an integrated sequence of three subcourses:

• Tec 40
• Tec 45
• Tec 50

You can complete them continuously, or you can complete each level separately with a time span between them. This gives you learning efficiency, instructional integrity and schedule flexibility.

The Fun Part!

The fun part of TecRec is rising to the challenges as you dive deeper and longer than most divers ever do.

The TecRec Education Flowchart:

• An Expansive Retail and Sales Area
• 3 Additional Classrooms for all PADI Courses right through to IDC
• The Liquid Lense Dedicated Editing Suite
• The Liquid Lounge: Excellent comfort and spacious sofas for viewing Daily Photos and Videos on our new 47″ Plasma TV.
• A Dedicated Service and Maintenance Area
• A Large Equipment Room and Rinsing Facilities

More photos and details will be released soon!

Pimalai Resort & Spa is considered the Andaman luxury destination to set your sights on. This exclusive boutique beach resort combines all the right ingredients – subtle five star comforts, natural beauty, environmental friendliness and lots of space, occupying 100 acres of tropical vegetation with direct access to Kantiang Beach.

Scubafish are proud to be located in such a prestigious resort, and feel this compliments our shops in Baan Laanta Resort & Spa, and Narima Resort effortlessly.

Scubafish continue to offer discounted Diving, Accommodation and Transfer Packages allowing you to make substantial savings and your holiday money go that bit further! Please be aware that accommodation is already fast booking up for the Peak Season so be sure not to miss out!

Coming Soon:
Be sure to keep checking back for up-to-date pictures. As the final touches are completed we will make sure to post more pictures.

Learn more about our efforts to increase our guests satisfaction by reducing prices where possible, and introducing quick online sign-in technology!

We are very proud of our staff-team and reputation, and strive to ensure that your experience with us is as enjoyable and relaxed as possible. We believe that word of mouth and unbiased reviews & recommendations, are the most accurate and trusted feedback sought by fellow travellers looking for that special experience. If you feel the same, perhaps you would consider writing a short review or adding your opinion about our services below

Clownfish Facts:

• Clownfish actually belong to a group of fish known as Anemonefish, which in turn belong to the family; Damsel fish
• There are approximately 28 recognised species of Anemonefish
• The Clownfish gets its name both from its bright, clown-like, colourful markings and from the funny way it moves or ‘clowns’ around
• The Western Clownfish is actually the ‘False Percula Clownfish’ with the True Percula Clownfish’ being the very similar Orange Clownfish (Amphiprion percula) – the only difference between these two species is that the Orange Clownfish usually has ten dorsal spines, while the Western Clownfish has eleven.
• Clownfish are said to live for around six-eight years
• In the wild, all Anemonefish (and therefore Clownfish) live in a symbiotic relationship with their host anemone
• The stinging arms of the anemone protects the Anemonefish from predators
• Anemonfish are protected from the stinging tentacles of the anemone by an unusually thick mucus membrane which secretes a chemical that makes them undetectable to the anemone’s tentacles. This mucous coat is developed during multiple interactions with the host anemone. The anemone is fooled into feeling like it’s touching itself when it touches the slime of the clownfish and so does not sting
• Anemones are actually flesh-eating animals that look like plants
• Clownfish predominantly live off eating the left overs from their anemone’s carnivorous diet
• By swimming in their cute, waddley way, Anemonefish create water circulation that is beneficial for the anemone
• Being relatively poor swimmers, they rarely go farther than a few inches from their host anemone. This is due, in part to their inability to out-swim or escape predators, but also to their fear of losing the anemone to another anemone fish
• Anemonefish aggressively protect their anemone from intruders and are known to chase off creatures as large as turtles or even divers! (beware – they have been known to bite divers that get too close)
• Anemonefish are born with both male and female reproductive organs and can change sex as they mature
• In a family there is strict hierarchy of dominance where the female is the largest and most aggressive in a group
• There is only one sexually mature male in a group. This male lives monogamously with the female in the group and the rest are non-reproductive, smaller males
• If the female dies, the sexually mature male will change sex and become the dominant female. The second largest male will then move up in hierarchy and become sexually mature (as a male)
• The female lays eggs close to the anemone and the male guards them for 5-7 days until they hatch
• You can find Western Clown Anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris), Skunk Anemonefish (Amphiprion perideraion) and Clarke’s Anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii) on all dive sites around Ko Lanta. The Tomato Anemonefish (Amphiprion frenatus) can be seen at the Ko Phi Phi dives sites

Western clownfish (more popularly known as Nemo) are a surprisingly small species of fish. Many divers remarks that ‘they are far smaller than they had imagined’, upon seeing them for the first time. They can grow up to 8cm (3 inches) in length, but are often smaller than this.

Due to their small size, clownfish are preyed upon by a number of predators but use the safety and protection of their stinging host anemone to keep out of harms way.

During day-to-day life on a coral reef, clownfish are probably amongst the least-snacked-on small fish, as they are relatively difficult to catch, as they dart about the waving, stinging tendrals of their sea anemone.

Large species of fish, sharks and eels are the main predators of the clown fish in the water but the human is the biggest overall threat to the clownfish as they are caught to keep in tanks and aquariums.

A 2-Way Relationship

Clownfish live in a mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationship with their host anemone. From the clownfish’s perspective, this is good as the anemone provides shelter and protection from predators and is a good food source, in the form of leftovers from any fish the anemone devours.

In turn, the clownfish helps its host by luring-in unsuspecting prey. The clownfish attracts other fish and shrimps into the deceptively mesmerising tentacles of the sea anemone, by showing off its bright colors. The anemone quickly ensnares any creature that strays too close, by hugging it tightly and killing it with poison released from it’s tentacles. Once stilled, the prey is ingested and devoured whole into its large central mouth.

The clownfish generally likes to keep its home anemone nice and clean, eating away any dead tentacles and creating a good circulation of water which is beneficial for the anemone. The feces of the clownfish also provides specialist nutrients to the sea anemone.

Anemonefish have adapted to be able to safely live in the stinging arms of an anemone. They have developed their own, unusually thick protective, mucus membrane which secretes a chemical that makes the fish undetectable to the anemone’s tentacles. The anemone is fooled into feeling like it’s touching itself when it touches the slimy mucus of the clownfish and so does not release it’s sting.

Anemonefish in general are fiercely territorial. They protect their host anemone so aggressively that they will even chase away marine animals that are many times larger than themselves. They are known to chase off creatures as large as turtles or even divers!

It does strike me that the clownfish does rather better out of this deal than the anemone – no wonder they put up a fight to hold on to it!

The Complicated Sex-Life of a Clownfish

Clownfish tend to live in a family group within an anemone which consists of a sexually mature male and female and a number of younger male clownfish.

Anemone clownfish are protandrous hermaphrodites, which means they start out their life as a male and later they can change to become female, developing female reproductive organs when required. (Technically they are born with both male and female sex organs which both lie dormant until being needed). When the female in the group dies, the dominant male will become female and the next largest male, will develop functioning male sex organs to replace the male who is now female – confusing!

Female clownfish lay thousands of eggs at a time and usually try to find a flat surface close to their host anemone on which to lay them. Clownfish lay their eggs around the full moon and the male clownfish guards the eggs until they hatch just over a week later.

Despite the rising levels of pollution in the world’s oceans and destruction of the habitats on the ocean floor, clownfish are not considered to be an endangered species, mainly because they lay so many eggs at a time. Even though not all of the clown fish eggs will hatch, a vast number of clownfish fry hatch in every spawn meaning that clownfish numbers remain high in the wild.