Dr Dive sez: Florida has removed all regulatory restrictions on taking Lionfish: no season, no limits, no license required. This does not allow spearing anywhere it is otherwise prohibited, but opens up the opportunity to anyone interested in helping. Several Gulf Coast fishing rodeos now have Lionfish categories, with prizes, and there are several summer long Lionfish round ups, also with prizes, that run over the several months, so everyone has a chance to get in the hunt. Kill em and grill em. We'll see you out there.
lionfish spearing program
- Thread starter Ambassador Divers
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
OP
Ambassador Divers
Contributor
We like to compare culling lionfish to cutting grass.We realize that we will never successfully extripate the red lionfish but fell that
it's something that has to be done to protect our reefs. We also organize local lionfish tournaments. On June 1st and 2nd we will host our 8th tournament. Our last round up produced 1400 fish in just two days. During these events, local divers and free divers along with a few local operators compete for prizes for smallest, largest, most fish, and most overall gross weight in both SCUBA and free diving. We give away free t-shirts to all participants as well as anything from iPhone's to BBQ grills to the winners of each category. Each event is sponsored by a local restaurant where the hunters and general public gather to eat, free of charge, the weekends catch. We feel these types of events incentivize divers to think outside of the box. They hunt areas not typically visited in search of the winning fish. In fact, I am very proud to say that it is difficult to find a lionfish on a moored dive site. This is due to the quick response of our local Marine Conservation Board and Department of the Environment for getting the proper tools in the hands of the people that were willing to help "cut the grass".
it's something that has to be done to protect our reefs. We also organize local lionfish tournaments. On June 1st and 2nd we will host our 8th tournament. Our last round up produced 1400 fish in just two days. During these events, local divers and free divers along with a few local operators compete for prizes for smallest, largest, most fish, and most overall gross weight in both SCUBA and free diving. We give away free t-shirts to all participants as well as anything from iPhone's to BBQ grills to the winners of each category. Each event is sponsored by a local restaurant where the hunters and general public gather to eat, free of charge, the weekends catch. We feel these types of events incentivize divers to think outside of the box. They hunt areas not typically visited in search of the winning fish. In fact, I am very proud to say that it is difficult to find a lionfish on a moored dive site. This is due to the quick response of our local Marine Conservation Board and Department of the Environment for getting the proper tools in the hands of the people that were willing to help "cut the grass".
jordanliles
Registered
I recently had lionfish for dinner at Captain's Table in Cayman Brac. Is this a normal thing to serve around the islands, or is it part of the effort to help the problem?
Lionfish are a relatively recent influence on the reefs of the Cayman Islands. As such any lionfish on the menus of local restaurants is most certainly linked to awareness of the problem and and effort to provide a market for culled fish. Lionfish is not a traditional Caymanian dish.
However, the Department of Environment and the Watersports Association have promoted lionfish recipes and provided instructions on safe preparation techniques. Restaurants and one local grocer sponsor lionfish culling events. And many of the dive instructors on island have taken a very active role in trying to keep lionfish numbers down.
However, the Department of Environment and the Watersports Association have promoted lionfish recipes and provided instructions on safe preparation techniques. Restaurants and one local grocer sponsor lionfish culling events. And many of the dive instructors on island have taken a very active role in trying to keep lionfish numbers down.
It was only a few hours after I read this thread--and watched the very excellent video--that I received email from PADI stating their position on spearfishing. I can't help but wonder if there wasn't a connection! Whatever the case, I must say that I support PADI's position completely. I own a dive store in Monterey, CA and I do not sell any hunting equipment. I think I'm the only store that doesn't, yet we still managed to get voted "Best Dive Shop" by readers of the local newspaper. For those interested, here's PADI's view on this:
The PADI organization has recently made a policy change with regard to the sanctioning of underwater hunting-related distinctive specialty courses:
For many years, PADI has approved distinctive specialties in a variety of recreational diving activity areas to encourage skill development and expand adventure horizons. This has included sanctioning courses in underwater hunting and collecting of marine species when these encompassed sustainable take for the participant’s own consumption or use of non-threatened species and, of course, only where local laws allow. Some approved outlines also allowed for collection or intervention to support local environment management plans.
PADI’s approach has been that there is value in providing education for those who choose to hunt or collect underwater, so that local laws and issues such as sustainability, conservation and safety can be imparted to the interested diving consumer. However, this has not been without controversy as many support a no-take approach to marine conservation. In the modern world, PADI is supporting a no-take approach. PADI’s interest is to provide a unified message to divers regarding the importance of conservation. While underwater hunting and collecting can be done responsibly and with respect for the environment, PADI has chosen to discontinue approving any further distinctive specialty instructor applications that involve the hunting or collection of underwater life. This comes at a time when, probably not coincidentally, interest in conducting hunting and collecting courses through PADI has diminished significantly.
Whether or not to take part in sustainable hunting and collecting remains a diver’s personal choice. PADI will continue to process certifications from instructors who have this specialty instructor rating, but will process no new instructor applications.
Note: As with any rule, there may be certain exceptions, which will be reviewed by PADI and Project AWARE. For example: PADI will continue to honor specialty instructor applications for the Invasive Lionfish Specialty course in regions (specifically, the United States and Caribbean) where this fish is non-native and has overpopulated and decimated reef systems.
If you have any questions regarding the PADI organization’s Underwater Hunting and Collection Policy, email PADI Americas Training Manager Brad Smith or call him at 800 729 7234 (US and Canada) or +1 949 858 7234, ext. 2224.
The PADI organization has recently made a policy change with regard to the sanctioning of underwater hunting-related distinctive specialty courses:
For many years, PADI has approved distinctive specialties in a variety of recreational diving activity areas to encourage skill development and expand adventure horizons. This has included sanctioning courses in underwater hunting and collecting of marine species when these encompassed sustainable take for the participant’s own consumption or use of non-threatened species and, of course, only where local laws allow. Some approved outlines also allowed for collection or intervention to support local environment management plans.
PADI’s approach has been that there is value in providing education for those who choose to hunt or collect underwater, so that local laws and issues such as sustainability, conservation and safety can be imparted to the interested diving consumer. However, this has not been without controversy as many support a no-take approach to marine conservation. In the modern world, PADI is supporting a no-take approach. PADI’s interest is to provide a unified message to divers regarding the importance of conservation. While underwater hunting and collecting can be done responsibly and with respect for the environment, PADI has chosen to discontinue approving any further distinctive specialty instructor applications that involve the hunting or collection of underwater life. This comes at a time when, probably not coincidentally, interest in conducting hunting and collecting courses through PADI has diminished significantly.
Whether or not to take part in sustainable hunting and collecting remains a diver’s personal choice. PADI will continue to process certifications from instructors who have this specialty instructor rating, but will process no new instructor applications.
Note: As with any rule, there may be certain exceptions, which will be reviewed by PADI and Project AWARE. For example: PADI will continue to honor specialty instructor applications for the Invasive Lionfish Specialty course in regions (specifically, the United States and Caribbean) where this fish is non-native and has overpopulated and decimated reef systems.
If you have any questions regarding the PADI organization’s Underwater Hunting and Collection Policy, email PADI Americas Training Manager Brad Smith or call him at 800 729 7234 (US and Canada) or +1 949 858 7234, ext. 2224.
Similar threads
