Lionfish update - el semanario

[evalovescozumel]

i don't know about the lion fish tasting good, I have heard the opposite...but i guess there is only one way to find out...it seems to me that you are damned if you do or damned if you don't....but let's look at some recent history as if we do not learn from it we are doomed to repeat it.....on a lighter note..i am thinking about that fish have a fish bigger than it in it's stomach...maybe that explains my growing butt problem...what do you think..should we have a forum?

 

[ggunn]

It might be an exercise in futility, but then again it could be like the bahamas where they did nothing and now they are everywhere.

What's to say it made any difference in the Bahamas whether they did anything or not? Please don't misinterpret me; I am not advocating a "do nothing" approach. I just don't think that killing a few of them here and there as we run across them while diving (which is all this is) will make any difference at the end of the day. A high body count only means that the population that you don't see is huge. Some problems don't have a solution, sad to say. To mix metaphors, the genie is out of the bottle and there is toothpaste all over the floor.

 

[diverken374]

What's to say it made any difference in the Bahamas whether they did anything or not? Please don't misinterpret me; I am not advocating a "do nothing" approach. I just don't think that killing a few of them here and there as we run across them while diving (which is all this is) will make any difference at the end of the day. A high body count only means that the population that you don't see is huge. Some problems don't have a solution, sad to say. To mix metaphors, the genie is out of the bottle and there is toothpaste all over the floor.

Lifespan of 15 years and female producing 30,000 eggs approx. every 4 mths. Tough odds.
YouTube - Lionfish Population Has Scientists Worried

 

[mudhole]

. . . I just don't think that killing a few of them here and there as we run across them while diving (which is all this is) will make any difference at the end of the day. A high body count only means that the population that you don't see is huge. Some problems don't have a solution, sad to say. To mix metaphors, the genie is out of the bottle and there is toothpaste all over the floor.

What solution will it take to please everyone? There have been "ecologists" saying that spearfishermen will wipe out all the fish. . . not true. What is true that spearfishing will limit the number and size of harmful fish in the area around the park. There are locals diving the park every day of the year, make the harvesting of the lion fish quick and easy.

Lion fish in adult size are slow moving and territorial. Lion fish as new hatchlings drift with the current and feed the whale sharks. Can they be eliminated from the Caribbean? no. Can the small native fish be preserved inside the park? Yes!

The local divers and guides have protected their reefs from visiting divers for years, now they can protect the park from a lion fish invasion. The local divers have tried capturing lion fish alive, it is much quicker and less of a distraction to kill them. We vacationing divers can help by tipping the hunters, by putting up donated prize money for the biggest lion fish, or the most lion fish. Let the skill of the local divers work to protect their park.

 

[ggunn]

What solution will it take to please everyone? There have been "ecologists" saying that spearfishermen will wipe out all the fish. . . not true. What is true that spearfishing will limit the number and size of harmful fish in the area around the park. There are locals diving the park every day of the year, make the harvesting of the lion fish quick and easy.

Lion fish in adult size are slow moving and territorial. Lion fish as new hatchlings drift with the current and feed the whale sharks. Can they be eliminated from the Caribbean? no. Can the small native fish be preserved inside the park? Yes!

The local divers and guides have protected their reefs from visiting divers for years, now they can protect the park from a lion fish invasion. The local divers have tried capturing lion fish alive, it is much quicker and less of a distraction to kill them. We vacationing divers can help by tipping the hunters, by putting up donated prize money for the biggest lion fish, or the most lion fish. Let the skill of the local divers work to protect their park.

Like I said, not every problem has a solution. Although I applaud the spirit of the action being taken by the lionfish hunters, my opinion (and it's only an opinion) is that killing the lionfish we come across while diving is not going to be sufficient to quell the invasion. I am certainly not against the taking of lionfish.

 

[loudives]

Last March they were already there. Saw 2 that week. You are not allowed to kill underwater yet, you must capture. Don't have to report. Raul caught a beauty on Monday at the Gardens his 69th. Large one and very colorfull. Got another Tuesday at the caves almost as big and colorfull. Don't mess with them the ones we caught were very quick and in a blink they can sting you. Raul was first to get stung last fall and still has some pain in his hand.

 

[MMM]

Jeremy was killing them within the park the day before yesterday. And then feeding them to eels. He wears heavy gloves when handling them. Lou I think this is a very new permission. So first we looked for lionfish and then eels! Killing them on sight is a whole lot easier than trying to pack them into a net and haul them around.

I don't think it's possible to eliminate the lionfish. The best case scenario is limiting their effect.

What Jeremy is planning re lionfish hunts doesn't involve any prices. Simply diving at costs that simply cover the costs for the tanks, captain and gas. None of his usual frills and super service.

But that won't be for a while. He's booked for some surgery and will be off work for several weeks. He's hired a new DM named Sergio, most recently from Allegro and earlier from Aldora. I've only dived with him once (his first time leading the dive) but others who have dived with him a few more times tell me they have liked him. Same nice slow pace. He's taking us out tomorrow.

Scubawife, I don't know what the black market piece meant but as you say, so long as they don't get get back in the water, who cares what happens to them, particularly if they no longer need to be turned in.

As for whether a lionfish can eat something bigger than it is, I was chatting with a guy the other day who has kept them in aquariums for more than 20 years. He says they will eat fish larger than they are, holding them in their mouthes and swallowing them bit by bit.

 

[BTravlin]

Like I said, not every problem has a solution. Although I applaud the spirit of the action being taken by the lionfish hunters, my opinion (and it's only an opinion) is that killing the lionfish we come across while diving is not going to be sufficient to quell the invasion. I am certainly not against the taking of lionfish.

Totally agree. With their reproductive rate and them populating the reef at hundreds of feet deep there really does not seem to be a solution outside of genetics. That would be controversial to say the least. Fostering effective avenues of control are our best option at present and controlling the damage within the park will be tough but worthwhile.

 

[divefamily09]

Like I said, not every problem has a solution. Although I applaud the spirit of the action being taken by the lionfish hunters, my opinion (and it's only an opinion) is that killing the lionfish we come across while diving is not going to be sufficient to quell the invasion. I am certainly not against the taking of lionfish.

I agree with you that killing a few here or there will not quell the invasion. I don't really think that its a battle that can be won. The reproduction rate is to high. Over time the environment will have to adapt to them. But I am game for hunting them down. It at least makes you feel like you are doing something. I was in Coz last March and didnt see any, was there again in Oct an ended up seeing 9 in 3 dives. DM reported 7 and we speared the other 2 as we were outside the park. Looking to go back this spring and take some more if I can.
John