Lionfish/DM's don't care!

[Rhone Man]

This is why I found the OP so odd.

I appreciate that lots of people don't like Lionfish. What I find odd is to hate people for not hating Lionfish.

 

[tflaris]

Obviously they have very good Dive Masters in that area, good on them!

As an evasive species with no known predators in the Bahamas and a very fast growing fish with a huge appetite that will eat just about everything. The lion fish actual grow larger in their non-native waters than when compared to native waters.

Not sure I agree with your opinion not to take action.

 

[CZMDM]

Don't want to get burned at the stake, but having lived by the sea for a very long time and in Cozumel for many years, my thoughts are......we're talking about hundreds of thousands of square miles of ocean and hundreds of thousands of fish, if not millions. I really don't see how a handful of people are going to stop the spread of any species, especially one as aggressive as the lionfish. As I mentioned once these fish are moving around, eating and mating 24/7/365. We could kill everyone in the park and a week later the ones breeding on the East side or near the mainland would be here. Spearing them? I personally do not spearfish, ever, with divers that I do not know and trust. Letting divers have spearing devices would be IMHO an accident waiting to happen.

I am certainly not saying I want the lionfish here or am happy about it, but to stop the spread of any given specie without destroying the environment you are trying to protect......you might as well try and repel a hurricane with a household fan.

 

[K_girl]

We can try removing them by capturing or killing them, but whenever you see an adult lionfish, chances are that there are thousands of eggs somewhere close by.

Interesting point. Maybe marine biologists should be looking for a predator that will eat lionfish eggs. If indeed there are thousands of lionfish eggs being laid by a single lionfish, something must be eating those eggs or there would be thousands of lionfish - yes? I've only skimmed the study and really don't know what they are saying about this. Even so, enough lionfish are making it to maturity to do serious damage, but they aren't swarming around by the thousands. Actually, I think that because the lionfish can consume so much by being able to expand its stomach by 30 times, the number of fish doing damage at this point is relatively small. And no one is seeing them in great numbers at this point.

They are pretty easy to capture or kill. They only swim in short little bursts and settle down again quickly in the open, even after being majorly harrassed. It took us about 10 minutes to capture one with two snorkles and a regular plastic bag and we were in the same 10 foot area the whole time. Major pain, but we still did it. Just think how easy it would be if you had something that was actually designed to capture or kill this fish. The marine biologist I was with talked about a small spear. Perhaps a small collapsable spear that could fit in your pocket.

Because they are not around in huge numbers and they are so easy to find and kill, I think controlling them is a very real possibility. Design the spears or netting device, make them inexpensive, make a how-to video, appeal to the "hunter" instinct of divers, market and educate, and our Carribean reefs may have a chance. I would not throw my hands up at this point and just give up and hope for the best.

 

[K_girl]

Don't want to get burned at the stake, but having lived by the sea for a very long time and in Cozumel for many years, my thoughts are......we're talking about hundreds of thousands of square miles of ocean and hundreds of thousands of fish, if not millions. I really don't see how a handful of people are going to stop the spread of any species, especially one as aggressive as the lionfish. As I mentioned once these fish are moving around, eating and mating 24/7/365. We could kill everyone in the park and a week later the ones breeding on the East side or near the mainland would be here.

Excellent point, but if these lionfish only live on reef structures and at certain depths, they may not be inhabiting the entire expanse of the ocean. Again, perhaps the NOAA study may address this, which I admit, I have not read thoroughly.

 

[ggunn]

Interesting point. Maybe marine biologists should be looking for a predator that will eat lionfish eggs.

I don't think that introducing yet another alien predator species is a good idea. Who knows what else it would eat? The cure could very well be worse than the disease.

 

[CZMDM]

K Girl you are right about the habitat (reef/depth). But the usable available area is still vast. And the fish did make the journey from Cayman or Jamaica or wherever through abyssal waters.

 

[ggunn]

This is why I found the OP so odd.

I appreciate that lots of people don't like Lionfish. What I find odd is to hate people for not hating Lionfish.

Where do you get that? I see some disagreement on what should (or should not) be done, but no one has expressed any hatred for anyone else that I've read. It's all academic, anyway; the policy in the Cozumel marine park is what it is and none of us are in a position to affect it.

 

[1KWIK_69]

K Girl you are right about the habitat (reef/depth). But the usable available area is still vast. And the fish did make the journey from Cayman or Jamaica or wherever through abyssal waters.

What I've read is that the fish don't swin the expanse. It's their eggs that ride the currents to new locations where they can hatch and thrive.

I liken this to law enforcement. We all know that there is no way to eliminate all crime, but we can sure do a lot to try and keep some of the criminals off the streets. This will at least prevent some people from becoming victims.

The jeanie is definitely out of the bottle, but every time a lionfish is removed from the reef, that saves the lives of countless juvanile grouper and other reef fish. It's going to be an ongoing battle forever, but if we keep their numbers low over a long time, maybe nature will catch up eventually and some of the local native predators will develope a taste for them? It's worth a shot.

I'm still in favor of all the local restaurants coming up with some tasty lionfish specialties! I can't wat to try my first lionfish taco!

 

[Pelagicsal]

I'm still in favor of all the local restaurants coming up with some tasty lionfish specialties! I can't wat to try my first lionfish taco!

Sounds like you need to join us on the Lionfish Recipe thread, if you aren't there already.
Tried valiantly to eat one on Grand Turk. The big hunt and cookout was two nights after I left. I was BUMMED!! They're definitely big enough to eat there, and the locals say they're tasty.