Any thoughts on why there isn’t a bounty on lionfish

[TMHeimer]

My very uneducated guess would be that even in the tropical/semi tropical areas most densely populated by divers, I would agree with what 100days says--a hundred yards away may be lionfish. Even if there are divers in that area a hundred yards away keeping that area free of lionfish, what about all the depths all over down there that are even just below rec limits? Or down to whatever depth lionfish can live? My guess would also be that not many tech. divers that venture to 2-300 feet have killing lionfish as an objective. And there just aren't that many tech. divers as a % of total divers anyway.
But as I say, I'm just throwing out ideas with no statistics (as if anyone really has any regarding % of total Atlantic lionfish that have been killed by divers).

 

[Steelyeyes]

These women caught more than 900 lionfish in 24 hours off the Florida coast

 

[woodcarver]

“It was so shallow. I’m used to being in thousands of feet of water,” she said.

Does she usually hunt from a sub?

 

[Damselfish]

This thread (and others) maybe illustrate why there's no bounty - not everyone agrees on the right approach to this. And that applies across countries - besides the US, different Caribbean islands have all different rules on what is allowed, and those have changed over time. I personally think the culling in commonly dove areas cuts down the numbers and reduces the pressure of them eating up other reef fish in those areas. Obviously that is far from perfect, but seems better than nothing.

There has always been much talk about the problem being lionfish having no natural predators in the Caribbean and I always assumed that referred to things eating the lionfish. But an interesting thing I just heard from someone while on a Indo trip, is that the reason they're not overrun with lionfish is their zillions of eggs get eaten. If this is true, what would it be about lionfish eggs in the Caribbean that makes them less tempting treats than other places? Nothing down there that wants them? Or does "not recognized at food" go as far as the type of egg?

 

[scubafanatic]

With a bounty, some genius may open up a giant fish farm for Lionfish and collect $ per ton of 'farmed' fish, why bother manually spearing each fish individually when they can be harvested by the ton from farming ?

 

[TMHeimer]

With a bounty, some genius may open up a giant fish farm for Lionfish and collect $ per ton of 'farmed' fish, why bother manually spearing each fish individually when they can be harvested by the ton from farming ?

Right. Somebody always has to ruin things.

 

[tbone1004]

due to the depths, one of the things that needs to happen is to have an exception for rebreather divers. The big ones are deep, no one is really diving OC trimix anymore and sure as hell won't be just to get lionfish. Let the CCR divers to get them and it will help

 

[CuzzA]

due to the depths, one of the things that needs to happen is to have an exception for rebreather divers. The big ones are deep, no one is really diving OC trimix anymore and sure as hell won't be just to get lionfish. Let the CCR divers to get them and it will help

The use of rebreathers to spear lionfish are legal in both Florida state and Federal waters. Spearing any other species on rebreathers in Florida state waters is illegal, however it is perfectly legal in Federal waters.

There is no way to keep populations in check beyond recreational limits, except for possible commercial fisherman. There just isn't enough dives being conducted. But I have no doubts the monster grouper, snapper and jacks at those depths will eventually start making quick work of them once they all start to eat them.

 

[tbone1004]

@CuzzA I've heard that, but never seen anything in writing from FWC about it...

 

[kmarks]

Spearing will never get rid of lion fish. CRISPR will get rid of lion fish. Engineer a male that passes on a hereditary trait of only being able to produce male progeny, introduce a few hundred of these guys into the Caribbean, give it a few years, and they'll all be gone. They only downside is if one of these males ends up getting into the asiatic waters where lion fish are part of the ecosystem.