A Wahoo in Lebanon: A Rare Encounter That Revives the Spirit of Citizen-Based Marine Conservation

From the depths of Tyre’s waters to the digital shores of Lebanon’s marine biodiversity platform

Under the blazing summer sun, a group of seasoned fishermen set out from the harbor of Tyre aboard the boat of Captain Hussein Berri, joined by the legendary “Reis” Abed Shalhoub. What started as a routine recreational fishing trip quickly turned into a groundbreaking marine moment when they hauled in a rare Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri)—a sleek, fast predator more commonly seen in tropical waters.

“This doesn’t happen every day,” said Captain Shalhoub. “We’ve been fishing these waters for years, but spotting a Wahoo here? That’s something else. The sea still surprises us.”

While Lebanon’s coastal waters are well-known for species like kingfish and groupers, the appearance of a Wahoo—dubbed the “gazelle of the sea”—off Tyre’s coast suggests that shifting sea temperatures, currents, and ecological conditions are reshaping marine biodiversity in the Eastern Mediterranean.

But this story is more than just a lucky catch. It fits into a larger, unfolding narrative powered by Lebanon’s emerging citizen-based marine biodiversity monitoring movement, a project currently implemented by the Lebanese Environment Forum (LEF) in partnership with the University of Balamand, and funded by the European Union.

Through this initiative, everyday citizens, fishers, divers, and coastal visitors are encouraged to report their sightings—whether it’s a rare fish like the Wahoo, a nesting sea turtle, or an invasive species spotted during a snorkel.

🌊 Submit your marine sighting!
📸 Send us your photo or video via WhatsApp to 📱 +961 78 767 149
🔗 Or visit: Submit Your Sighting

These citizen submissions are helping bridge the gap between science and society, contributing to a national marine database that supports planning for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and strengthens environmental advocacy from the bottom up.

“Traditional monitoring programs are costly and slow,” notes the project team at the University of Balamand’s Marine and Coastal Resources Program. “But when citizens get involved—when fishermen, divers, or beachgoers share what they see—the whole picture changes. Suddenly, we’re seeing patterns that were invisible before.”

The Wahoo caught in Tyre has now been added to the marine biodiversity records managed under this project. It joins a list of other community-verified sightings such as:

• The rare Striated Frogfish in Sidon

• Sea Daffodils blooming in Mansouri

• A glowing Pelagia noctiluca jellyfish in Mansouri currents

• The elusive Nudibranch near AUB Canyon in Beirut

• Winter seabird visitors to Qlaileh and Dbayeh

📍 Explore sightings by location or activity on the interactive biodiversity platform:
Anfeh, Batroun, Byblos, Jal El Dib–Dbayeh, Sidon, Tyre, Qlaileh, Mansouri, and beyond.

🔖 Related hashtags:
#king_fish #jigging #fishinginlebanon #lure #spearfishing #marinebiodiversity #MPAsLebanon #citizenscience #fishingtrip #free_diving #FishRanker #biodiversitymonitoring #LebanonCoast