Lionfish Awareness and Elimination

[knotical]

PADI has now released a standardized distinctive specialty outline available to instructors.
The title is Invasive Lionfish Tracker, and includes catching and killing them.
Perhaps the standardized outline is based on annieols' course.

 

[munitor]

Looking around it does appear lionfish are in the Gulf of Mexico as well:
Invasive red lionfish near rigs in Gulf - Acadiana's News Leader

 

[annieols]

The PADI Lionfish Tracker course covers so much of the same information as my course does. One of the contributors, Mark Hixon, is one of the top researchers of lionfish and i read many papers written by him and his students (including the write up about the proceedings of the 61st Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, which is talked about in the new course). I think that the knowledge is there, and that the course sounds like a good one, but i have a couple of concerns regarding it (and i may just be biased because 6 months after receiving my outline, PADI has released their own)

I wonder if it wouldnt be better to have a larger diversity of elimination techniques. In the PADI Lionfish Tracker course they only discuss netting and euthanizing, which is a technique that takes too much time per fish in my opinion. I think PADI should have made a standardized course which could be used even in areas where spearing is allowed, for example. I dont forsee a bunch of divers in florida learning how to collect when they can grab a hawaiin sling and have a go, but i could be wrong.

The second thing i have a worry about is this part of the collection technique: [After catching the lionfish in the nets] "The Lionfish must then be grabbed by its bony head, between the eyes and the gills, in a firm grip by a diver wearing a protective puncture-proof glove. No attempt should be made to grab a Lionfish without a protective puncture-proof glove." I would have a very difficult time allowing my student to get close to the head of a lionfish when it is still jerking around and the likelyhood of envenomation is so high. I am a much bigger fan of collecting straight into a collection bag and not needing to transfer it.

These may simply be small complaints, and like i said i am not the happiest PADI-camper in regards to the timing of this course at the moment. I contacted PADI a couple months ago when they made the first announcment about the possible release of a new lionfish course and never heard anything back from them, so i am a little bit of a sour sally at the moment.

 

[danvolker]

In my lionfish course , students shoot the lionfish with a small polespear, then pull the large hedge clippers off of the wasteband holder, and safely chop off the spines, and then either leave the fish to the local marine life, or, place the now "spineless" lionfish in a BrownieBag for human consumption later.... the hedge clippers are the best part

 

[munitor]

danvolker and annieols, you both make a lot of sense.

I think that a short pole spear is all that is needed (can you say a few dollars, one loop of latex tubing, and one handed operation, vs $$$, spring noise and two hands for the ELF?)

And as annieols says, collection via nets is going to run much higher risk of getting stung and will take far longer than just whacking them. I expect lionfish removal will end up being as much of a task as crown-of-thorns control is in Australia, and there it has been streamlined to be as quick as possible.

 

[danvolker]

danvolker and annieols, you both make a lot of sense.

I think that a short pole spear is all that is needed (can you say a few dollars, one loop of latex tubing, and one handed operation, vs $$$, spring noise and two hands for the ELF?)

And as annieols says, collection via nets is going to run much higher risk of getting stung and will take far longer than just whacking them. I expect lionfish removal will end up being as much of a task as crown-of-thorns control is in Australia, and there it has been streamlined to be as quick as possible.

And removing is dumb, unless you will be eating them...lobster love eating dead lionfish, and could care less about the spines....the more they are eaten by local marinelife the better...

 

[stcroix]

I have posted a set of observations, experiences and questions over in "the other LF discussion" at http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/5846651-post58.html Would appreciate some responses to my questions, observations.

re: Hixon's LF papers ...are they online? I haven't found them. While I appreciate the concept of a PADI LF course, important LF info should be freely distributed.

re: SHEARS ...I've seen other divers use them and they aren't a bad alternative to a knife. However, cutting them with a knife is easy, and I think it's a bit more safe because the venomous spines FLOAT ABOUT. I've seen them brush up against the hunter and other divers. Leaving spines intact may also train other local fish/eels how to eat it.

 

[annieols]

hey everyone,
I am reopening this blog to announce some more exciting information... keep an eye out for the aug 2011 sport diver, where they have a neat article about my lionfish course! im still proud!

 

[archman]

I have not been excited about a PADI specialty course since 2002. Annieol's course sounds flipping amazing. If I go to Bonaire, I am totally doing this.

Lionfish suck.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

why all the hating? Have we found the fish equivalent of 4l-Qa3da?