Atlantic lionfish invasion story on NBC news tonight!

[mike_s]

If a diver touches a Lionfish, will it sting you?

 

[Papa_Bear]

They do have predators see here: Two Tanked Productions HD & SD Underwater Productions and video services

They can be aggressive and will turn their 13 spines along the dorsal ridge toward you and throw themselves toward you! They can be stepped on or bumped into! Watch out in swim troughs they like to hang on the sides and tops of them where you might not see them!

 

[Natasha]

Here's a link to the news story:
MSNBC - Front Page

Good link. Thanks~

 

[ONESPEED]

If a diver touches a Lionfish, will it sting you?

It can sting you....

The lionfish's sharp, slender spines are located on the dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins. A venom gland is located at the base of each spine. The venom is a combination of protein, a neuromuscular toxin, and a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. After the fish's spine punctures the victim's skin, the venom travels up a groove in the spine and into the wound. The sting causes intense pain, redness and swelling around the wound site. Although the worst of the pain is over after an hour or two, some people report pain and tingling sensations around the wound for several days or weeks. On rare occasions, when the venom spreads to other parts of the body, people may experience headaches, chills, cramps, nausea, and even paralysis and seizures.

 

[cdreamer]

I've been stung by one of my pet lionfish while cleaning the tank - it only got the back of my hand
with one spine - but it hurt for days. At first it is like a bee sting, but for a couple of days my hand felt bruised. If threatened, they point their head down and will jab the dorsal spines at you.
I would hate to have one of those basketball sized ones in N.C. get me but it still doesn't stop me
from getting close to photograph them (hint - if you touch their tail - they WILL turn around and pose for a shot). In N.C. there doesn't seem to be a shortage of food, but in parts of the Bahamas, they are literally vacuuming up everything they can fit in their mouth and the Bahamas do not have the populations of fish like N.C. I understand the dilemma in the Bahamas, but I have
to admit that I kinda like having them around in N.C.

 

[refinished]

I saw a pair of them on North North Dry Rocks off of Key Largo 6 or 7 years ago. I couldn't believe my eyes, but having seen them in the South Pacific, I was sure I was not confusing them for something native. The boat driver thought I was a liar and a very horrible liar telling outlandish lies at that. I started my diving career in Lake Huron just as the Zebra mussel was starting to make news and I remember finding one on a jetty one day. Now the lakes are choked with them. I would hate to see the reefs clobbered by Lion fish the way the Zebra mussel clobbered the lakes.

 

[mike_s]

H
Here's a link to the news story:
MSNBC - Front Page

I looked for their story on this yesterday and couldnt' find it... I guess I had to wait for it to air first...


interesting thing they said in the above linked story was that all of the LionFish that some scientist have done DNA testing on caught in the Atlantic all can be traced back to 6 or 7 original fish.

they also noted that LionFish were released when hurricanes smashed open aquariums.....

 

[DIVINGDAMSEL]

We did filet some and eat them...the poison is isolated to the spiny fins so no risk of ingesting...although you can still get a painful poke of poison even after dead for a few hours so cleaning them was a careful task. Taste was very similar to a tilapia- white and not much flavor really...would have been better fried than sauteed. I'd eat it again and I'm sure someone on the Food Network could come up with a great recipe for it- maybe we can say it has potency powers and sell it to the Asian market....

 

[DIVINGDAMSEL]

yep, localized pain in the puncture zone that is intense for awhile. Submerse point of entry in hottest water you can stand to neutralize poison...much like a stingray.

 

[perdidochas]

I documented the very first Red Lion fish in the Turks & Caicos Islands in June 2007! We get involved and we will screw it up! Come up with a good recipe and an open season and limit and it will at least keep them in check! All the ocean are connected and if they aren't supposed to be hear nature will cause whatever it was that didn't have then hear in the first place.... They will be in the Caribbean until they aren't and we will never eliminate them and should we even try?

From what I've read, they are quite tasty, and in some areas of Indonesia are overfished.