Roombaguy
Contributor
In todays Caymanian Compass
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Pro divers may get spears to catch lionfish
Professional divers could be allowed to hunt lionfish with spears, but recreational divers will have to continue to catch them with nets.
The Department of Environment is talking with dive operators in Cayman about the possibility of licensing dive professionals to use spears to kill the venomous fish that has invaded Cayman waters.
James Gibb, a research officer at the department, said staff of the DoE were in early discussions with dive operators to find a faster way than nets to capture the fish.
We have been talking to the dive masters and dive instructors about the possibility of doing training in the use of pole spear devices, Mr. Gibb said.
They dont always have time to stop and spend 10 minutes catching a lionfish with a net. Theyre not like weekend divers, they are working for a living and theyre our biggest defence against the lionfish invasion, he added.
Under the Marine Conservation Law, it is illegal to take any creature from the marine parks in Cayman. The laws regulations were amended in 2009 to certify divers to use nets to catch lionfish, which were appearing in increasing numbers on the islands reefs.
It was advised at the time to keep the lionfish alive and on ice until they were delivered to the Department of Environment where they would be killed using a mixture of clove oil and alcohol, after which they would measured and a sample of their DNA would be taken.
But the number of captured lionfish grew so large that the DoE changed tack and is now advising people with lionfish culling licences that they can kill the lionfish, eat them if they wish and send the measurements of the fish and information on where they were caught to the department for
data-collection purposes.
Mr. Gibb said allowing non-professional divers to spear lionfish was not likely because of safety issues and potential damage to coral. Dive masters have better skills underwater, they do this day in and day out, he said.
There has been a rising clamour among the dive community to allow divers to use spear guns and spear poles to catch the lionfish.
Mr. Gibb said he is asked about 10 times a day why divers are not allowed to use spears and spear guns to kill lionfish.
The worry is that, (a) people will abuse it and (b) that it becomes a new toy to play with underwater. We have to think about more than just spearing fish, he said.
Dive instructor Aaron Hunt, who has been stung several times while catching lionfish and who almost lost his finger after receiving a particularly venomous sting this year, said he was delighted to hear the Department of Environment was considering letting dive professionals use spears to catch lionfish.
Were extremely pleased to hear this. It would make life easier for all of us. It would mean we dont have to trail around these giant nets we take with us on a regular basis. Its like trailing a sail behind you. Its not a mild inconvenience, to say the least, he said.
Mr. Hunt said using spears would enable professional divers to kill the lionfish and leave them in the water. Id be happy to never surface with another lionfish, he said.
He agreed that licensing to spear lionfish should be limited to dive professionals. The main concern is people might abuse the privilege and use it to go out to go out on the reef and take grouper and other animals that need to be protected, he said.
Capturing lionfish in nets can be a slow and laborious task, especially as lionfish are often found in crevices on reefs, making it difficult to manoeuvre the nets to catch them. Once caught, the lionfish are usually transferred to a bag, leaving the nets free to catch any other lionfish the diver comes across. But divers say using spears would be much quicker and more efficient than using nets.
At Don Fosters Dive in George Town, which has recorded at least 200 lionfish caught by divers using its tanks, operations manager Sergio Coni said it would be more efficient to use spears rather than nets.
The nets are good but its getting a bit more complicated because of the number of lionfish out there now.,, The problem with the nets is the dive instructors are working and cannot really be diving with people and catching fish at the same time. You could get distracted from what youre supposed to be doing, he said.
Mr. Coni added that while some dive instructors return to the site of where they spotted the lionfish, after returning their dive group to the boat, there was no guarantee the lionfish would still be in the same place.
Divers have removed hundreds of lionfish from Caymans reefs since the species was first spotted in Little Cayman in February 2008. The fish are not native to the Atlantic or Caribbean and have no known natural predators in those seas, although there have been efforts to encourage grouper and other sealife to consume them.
Divetech in West Bay has been running weekly lionfish-hunt boat dives since last year. Co-owner of the dive operation Nancy Esterbrook said she supported the Department of Environment approving spears to be used to catch lionfish. I think all dive operators are, she said.
The easier we can make it in terms of having something that staff can carry at all times, the better. The nets are a bit cumbersome and not conducive to using on working dives with guests, so by having an easier/smaller tool in hand, the opportunity to catch lionfish should be improved.
I think all good plans need to be executed, then you find out what works and streamline from them. The DoE and Marine Conservation Board were very proactive in allowing lionfish to be caught in the first place, so this enhancement to the programme will only serve to help keep the culling going, Ms Esterbrook said.
Lionfish can spawn up to 30,000 eggs at a time. Spearing a female lionfish will not release fertilised eggs into the water, as the eggs are fertilised externally by a male lionfish.
cayCompass.com :: Pro divers may get spears to catch lionfish
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Pro divers may get spears to catch lionfish
Professional divers could be allowed to hunt lionfish with spears, but recreational divers will have to continue to catch them with nets.
The Department of Environment is talking with dive operators in Cayman about the possibility of licensing dive professionals to use spears to kill the venomous fish that has invaded Cayman waters.
James Gibb, a research officer at the department, said staff of the DoE were in early discussions with dive operators to find a faster way than nets to capture the fish.
We have been talking to the dive masters and dive instructors about the possibility of doing training in the use of pole spear devices, Mr. Gibb said.
They dont always have time to stop and spend 10 minutes catching a lionfish with a net. Theyre not like weekend divers, they are working for a living and theyre our biggest defence against the lionfish invasion, he added.
Under the Marine Conservation Law, it is illegal to take any creature from the marine parks in Cayman. The laws regulations were amended in 2009 to certify divers to use nets to catch lionfish, which were appearing in increasing numbers on the islands reefs.
It was advised at the time to keep the lionfish alive and on ice until they were delivered to the Department of Environment where they would be killed using a mixture of clove oil and alcohol, after which they would measured and a sample of their DNA would be taken.
But the number of captured lionfish grew so large that the DoE changed tack and is now advising people with lionfish culling licences that they can kill the lionfish, eat them if they wish and send the measurements of the fish and information on where they were caught to the department for
data-collection purposes.
Mr. Gibb said allowing non-professional divers to spear lionfish was not likely because of safety issues and potential damage to coral. Dive masters have better skills underwater, they do this day in and day out, he said.
There has been a rising clamour among the dive community to allow divers to use spear guns and spear poles to catch the lionfish.
Mr. Gibb said he is asked about 10 times a day why divers are not allowed to use spears and spear guns to kill lionfish.
The worry is that, (a) people will abuse it and (b) that it becomes a new toy to play with underwater. We have to think about more than just spearing fish, he said.
Dive instructor Aaron Hunt, who has been stung several times while catching lionfish and who almost lost his finger after receiving a particularly venomous sting this year, said he was delighted to hear the Department of Environment was considering letting dive professionals use spears to catch lionfish.
Were extremely pleased to hear this. It would make life easier for all of us. It would mean we dont have to trail around these giant nets we take with us on a regular basis. Its like trailing a sail behind you. Its not a mild inconvenience, to say the least, he said.
Mr. Hunt said using spears would enable professional divers to kill the lionfish and leave them in the water. Id be happy to never surface with another lionfish, he said.
He agreed that licensing to spear lionfish should be limited to dive professionals. The main concern is people might abuse the privilege and use it to go out to go out on the reef and take grouper and other animals that need to be protected, he said.
Capturing lionfish in nets can be a slow and laborious task, especially as lionfish are often found in crevices on reefs, making it difficult to manoeuvre the nets to catch them. Once caught, the lionfish are usually transferred to a bag, leaving the nets free to catch any other lionfish the diver comes across. But divers say using spears would be much quicker and more efficient than using nets.
At Don Fosters Dive in George Town, which has recorded at least 200 lionfish caught by divers using its tanks, operations manager Sergio Coni said it would be more efficient to use spears rather than nets.
The nets are good but its getting a bit more complicated because of the number of lionfish out there now.,, The problem with the nets is the dive instructors are working and cannot really be diving with people and catching fish at the same time. You could get distracted from what youre supposed to be doing, he said.
Mr. Coni added that while some dive instructors return to the site of where they spotted the lionfish, after returning their dive group to the boat, there was no guarantee the lionfish would still be in the same place.
Divers have removed hundreds of lionfish from Caymans reefs since the species was first spotted in Little Cayman in February 2008. The fish are not native to the Atlantic or Caribbean and have no known natural predators in those seas, although there have been efforts to encourage grouper and other sealife to consume them.
Divetech in West Bay has been running weekly lionfish-hunt boat dives since last year. Co-owner of the dive operation Nancy Esterbrook said she supported the Department of Environment approving spears to be used to catch lionfish. I think all dive operators are, she said.
The easier we can make it in terms of having something that staff can carry at all times, the better. The nets are a bit cumbersome and not conducive to using on working dives with guests, so by having an easier/smaller tool in hand, the opportunity to catch lionfish should be improved.
I think all good plans need to be executed, then you find out what works and streamline from them. The DoE and Marine Conservation Board were very proactive in allowing lionfish to be caught in the first place, so this enhancement to the programme will only serve to help keep the culling going, Ms Esterbrook said.
Lionfish can spawn up to 30,000 eggs at a time. Spearing a female lionfish will not release fertilised eggs into the water, as the eggs are fertilised externally by a male lionfish.
cayCompass.com :: Pro divers may get spears to catch lionfish
concluded.
