LionFish in Bonaire

[Belmont]

I personally don't like this practice. I think it teaches the various fish and eels to associate divers with a free lunch.

In Jamaica we zap them and leave them where they were found.
Whatever scavenges them after we are gone can't make that kind of association.

 

[Jersey]

Hi,
I'm heading to Bonaire soon and plan on hunting lion fish. Apparently now PADI says you need to be certified to hunt them, even tho I am a DiveMaster. If that's what I have to do that's what I'll do.
What I'm wondering is, what the lionfish population is like? And if anyone has some tips about this.

Thanks.

Hunting anything is a Bonaire restriction as it's a marine reserve. No spearguns, slings, poles, etc. That said, several operations offer a course resulting in authorization to rent the appropriate gear (ELF, shears, bag, gloves) and dispatch Lionfish. I think the course I took was $125 (PADI) and to rent the gear after was $35/day. Population varies from site to site, the less accessed sites more. When I have my camera in hand, there seem to be more. The larger ones tend to be deep, especially during the day. The big ones we found started around 80 feet. They are incredibly fast, the ELF is restrictively short and the fish tend to hide back in coral formations, overhangs, blind spots. Taken together, it is much harder to dispatch the buggers than it may appear. Move slowly, they see you coming and seem to sense the distance you require to sling the ELF. As soon as you are in striking distance, they flee. You won't get a second chance. Bring a critter spotter light, they blend well into surrounding coral. Swim slowly, shining light back into crevices. Approach slowly, with the ELF prepped at your side. Watch your depth and time. One in my class had an OOA on our second dive and he was our shallow diver. It requires 2 divers - the concept is diver 1 spears, puts fish on piece of dead coral, rock or bottom (or they swim off tips), diver 2 spears a second time to stabilize. Now fish is no longer spinning and flapping so a head and tail spear is optimal situation. One diver then holds both spears while the other uses the shears to cut just behind eyes, quickly and humanely dispatching. Of course the fins are still flapping around while you try to snip, the fish is still flapping, they are slippery, the shears don't cut fast or deep. Diver with snips opens catch bag and fish is placed within. My buddy is a well seasoned dispatcher of sealife and even he was amazed at their speed. They seem to vanish - one second they are all puffy fins akimbo and the next, almost as if you've stuck a pin in them, the fins collapse, they deflate their entire body and they are out of there. Good luck!

 

[Byte Me]

I personally don't like this practice. I think it teaches the various fish and eels to associate divers with a free lunch.

When the moray comes out and takes the lionfish off the spear as we're opening the stomach to see what kind of juvenile fish it ate, you don't ask questions!

 

[TheWizard]

There's a small colony of lionfish at 51 feet a ways north of Oil Slick Leap.
Go get 'em!

 

[cameron]

I don't know the rules on Bonaire but there were plenty last year. I don't know your certification level but I am a tech diver and took my scooter. On the dives up around red slave and the lighthouse in about 180' of water where the reef flattened out into the sand all you had to do was look for a lone coral head in the sand and it would be loaded with them. I counted over a dozen on numerous coral heads. Walt at Walt's rec tec at capt don's was shooting them and giving them away for ceviche. He would be a good one to check with. Oh and by the way they are good in ceviche.

I was there 2 years ago and did a whole bunch of 150-220' dives over a 2 month period and there were TONNES of them. I was doing 2 hour scooters along the whole west coast and EVERY coral head had em. You can hunt them in the rec range but their numbers are prolific in the tec range.

Cam

 

[eastcoastbas]

Imorin is correct. To hunt Lionfish on Bonaire you first have to take the Lionfish Specialty course. After that you are only allowed to hunt under supervision of a licenced (by STINAPA) ELF hunter... on guided duives or boat dives that have a licenced hunter along. You are not allowed to bring your own spear to hunt with nor is it allowed to rent (out) ELF spears. It is also not allowed to feed marine life.
I wonder how much good comes from letting visitors hunt for Lionfish. The course is a joke. I know of people getting 'certified' without having caught a single fish. There's a learning curve to it. With some the curve is steeper than with others and some just never learn, yet all get certified!!?? We have all missed fish and still miss a fish once in a while. You miss a fish once and it will remember the next time and swim away before you can get to it making it uncatchable and allow it to eat and reproduce for a long time to come. It's quite frustrating to see people miss fish after fish, getting a little better towards the end of the week... but then the trip's over and it starts all over again next year/trip. And this is just about the Lionfish... not to mention the damage to the reef that will occur when everyone is let loose to catch Lionfish.
The method that is described here by Jersey is scary. Sounds like a perfect recipe to get stung and a sure way to do damage to the reef. I have found a video on youtube that correspondes with this method. What a mess!!! Funny also is the last fish shot at in the video.. not a chance... you know it's going to miss and still shoot!? Who is going to catch this one now?? and the other that were missed?? I wonder who was supervising this bunch?
Wilder, the Lionfish Hunter - YouTube

same here.. what a mess. and now we can wear gloves too so lets touch the reef some.
Lion Fish Hunters! Bonaire 2012 - YouTube

If you think this is helping out, think again. Maybe it's of better help if you ask the restaurants for Lionfish. Report your sightings on www.lionfishcontrol.org Or join local licenced ELF hunters on their dives and be a spotter for them. This way dozens of Lionfish can be efficiently and safely (for the reef and yourself) removed in one single dive with just one or none getting away! Plus it might get you great places you would have never gone on your own.

This is more like it...
Lionfishing Washington Slagbaai National Park Bonaire - YouTube
East Coast lionfish hunting - Bonaire - - YouTube

 

[skearse]

Last week I saw four in twenty-three dives, all in the shallower ranges (50-70 feet) during the day. Two at 18th Palm, and one each at Something Special and...and....and...(I think) Mi Dushi-but we weren't exactly combing the reefs for them. We stayed at Buddy's; they have the class for $125 plus the guided hunting dive for $35 but on the upside they'll prepare anything you kill for you to eat for 'free.' They also have a spotted LF log for those that want to go that way instead.

 

[Heatheroe]

We had lionfish for the first time in Bonaire at Bistro de Paris. It was absolutely decicious and could easily take the place of grouper (I know you can't catch grouper in Bonaire, thinking more for Bahamas, etc). We saw it on the menu at Pasa Bon Pizza and Cactus Blue but they were out of it at the time. Is there enough hunting going on to keep the many restaurants on Bonaire fully stocked with lionfish? I was thoroughly impressed with Bonaire's conservation efforts and think the Bahamas and other Caribbean regions should take note and implement some of their tactics.

 

[Dobs69]

Lionfish seem to be a problem everywhere. I'm in the panhandle of Florida, and a buddy of mine convinced me to start shooting them. Best decision I was ever forced into! They taste awesome! Relatively easy to clean...just need shears of some sort to de-spine them. We shoot them, stuff em in the lionfish tube, and then when we get to the boat, open up the fish cooler...and just dump them in. No handling of them at all.

I can see WHY they don't want people shooting lionfish in Bonaire as they sit on, or very close to the rock/coral. You will hit coral or rock when you shoot them....so it makes sense to limit those taking them.

Someone said they are "fast"....must be different breed then ours... I watched my son shoot, miss, shoot, miss, shoot hit at one lionfish..it moved all of 2 inches Realize we are shooting on hard bottom and not coral where we are...or on wrecks so missing is not such a big deal.
For those that haven't tried it...I recommend you do. Sweet, light, and very flavorful fish!

 

[Kharon]

Hi,
I'm heading to Bonaire soon and plan on hunting lion fish. Apparently now PADI says you need to be certified to hunt them, even tho I am a DiveMaster. If that's what I have to do that's what I'll do.
What I'm wondering is, what the lionfish population is like? And if anyone has some tips about this.

Thanks.

Expect to pay for the training course and to only hunt when paying for a dive with an accompanying instructor/guide. Otherwise forget it. BTW diving from Oct 28th to Nov 4th I didn't see a single lionfish, so paying may be a waste of money.