I know most of you who take the time to read this might think it silly that we mourn the death of a fish, but Anne and I were very disappointed to learn that Fred was killed by a careless spear fisherman.

Fred, a twenty-five pound Nassau Grouper, lived on the reef at Sunset House. He was tame and very friendly, so friendly you could actually pet him (like a dog) without him swimming away. He was constantly in search of a handout and most divers accommodated him. We remembered him from out trips in '92 and '93 and looked forward to visiting with him again this year. Sadly we were informed by Cathy Church that Fred was selfishly and recklessly killed about four years ago. According to Cathy someone, or group, intentionally speared all of the friendly Grouper on the island including Wanda, a 300-pound Jew fish that lived on the Oro Verde wreck. Wanda, like Fred, was a tame and friendly fish that allowed countless divers to pet and photograph her. There was even an article in the paper stating how easy it was to kill Wanda ... no surprise to us divers who knew her as a friendly face whenever we visited the Oro Verde wreck.