Page 14 - AHATA

a8 local
Wednesday 19 november 2025

The Lionfish and its threat to our marine wild life

(Oranjestad)—Despite its itself against predators using world to keep in their aquari-
colorful and striking ap- its sharp, colorful spikes. It is ums. However, lionfish grow,
pearance, the lionfish has said that the sting of a lion- and as these buyers realized
become a Caribbean-wide fish can be up to 100 times that the fish were too much
problem for Atlantic sea life. more painful than that of a upkeep, they were let out
The Aruban marine wild life is bee’s sting. into the ocean to roam free.
also affected by this beauti- From continental USA, the
ful dilemma, as it is foreign Its natural predators in the lionfish travelled to and in-
to our waters and has be- Indo-Pacific are sharks and vaded the entire Caribbean
come a danger to our local barracudas, but in the Carib- area, from Aruba, Bonaire
fish and reefs. bean Sea, local fish do not and Curacao up to New
recognize the lionfish as part York. In Aruba, lionfish were
Originating from the Indo- of their diet. In other words, discovered in 2009.
Pacific Ocean, the lionfish is the lionfish has no predators
a relatively small fish. It has in the Caribbean Sea. And Controlling the lionfish popu-
no teeth, but it does protect this becomes a major prob- lation is challenge, as each
female fish can lay up to
40,000 eggs a day. Luckily,
we have people like van
lem for our local marine life; fish that eat algae and oth- Brakel who dedicate their
if there are no predators to er types of waste on a reef, lives hunting and capturing
stimulate population con- thus maintaining the reef’s these invasive species, using
trol of lionfish, these fish can health and providing food them for consumption and
continue to reproduce and to the fish population in the jewelry making.
expand to other parts of the area. However, as the lion-
Atlantic, become more inva- fish feeds off of these tiny They are caught with a
sive and dangerous for other fish, it becomes harder for hand spear, an object re-
types of fish. the coral reef to maintain its sembling a garbage picker
health. with 4 sharp prongs. These
For Aruba, the lionfish is a spears are used like a sling
problem especially for our Patrick also shares the origins shot to catch lionfish from
local coral reefs. According of lionfish in the Caribbean a distance. These fish are
to Patrick van Brakel, lion- Sea. It is theorized that the then put into a collecting
fish expert and hunter from introduction of these fish in tube and taken out of the
the Hunting Lionfish Aruba the Atlantic happened in water. This way, he does his
foundation, every reef has Florida, where people would part in protecting the local
a “cleaning station”—tiny buy lionfish from across the wild life.q

Ever heard of the cah’i orgel? A key instrument in

Aruban folklore music

(Oranjestad)— The cah’i or- popular stories said that the Wever, who later in his ca- needs preserving.
gel music box is an impor- instrument came from ei- reer became one of the As mentioned, the cah’i
tant and unique instrument ther England or Germany, composers for the Aruban orgel is a music box. Made
that is used on the ABC is- but made its way to Italy national anthem. from mahogany wood, it
lands in the Dutch Carib- down to Venezuela, where Rufo Wever was a young contains a cylinder with a triangle alongside the cah’i
bean. This instrument is a in 1881, Mr. Horatio Sprock musician in 1937 when he maximum of eight music orgel and wiri. In Aruba, the
staple in our folklore music, (1866-1949) from Curacao established his own cah’i pieces. By rotating the lever cah’i orgel and wiri is used
for traditional music genres,
and its significance in the was first introduced to it. orgel business on the island. on the front side of the box,
traditions of Aruba has and After that, Sprock made his Before that he experiment- the cah’i orgel produces such as the Aruban waltz,
tumba, mazurka and more.
continues to bring together own cah’i orgel “Josefina”, ed with his uncle’s cah’i or- music similar to that of a pi-
the old and young. and successfully debuted gel, and he over the years ano, and is accompanied Fun fact: another name for
it on the streets of Barqui- he learned to build and re- often by someone else the cah’i orgel is the “tin-
The origin of the cah’i or- simeto. Back in Curacao, pair the instrument. In fact, playing the “wiri”, a percus- gilingi box.”q
gel is said to have come he started his own cah’i he was incredibly skilled in sion instrument made out Source: “E Cilinder Magico
from Europe around 150 orgel business along with this, and he was one of the of steel and reminiscent entre Aruba y Curaçao” by
years ago. A cross breed his brother Luis. In Aruba, it few to have recognized to the Spanish guiro. Back Marilyn Alcalá-Wallé, Herta
between the barrel piano is said that the cah’i orgel from the start that the cah’i then, you would often also Parabirsing-Balentina and Ni-
and the organ, the most was introduced by Rufo orgel is an instrument that find someone playing the dia Rosaria-Wallé.