Lionfish everywhere, BVI too

[ReeferBen]

I've been diving off White Bay, Jost Van Dyke BVI for years. Today I saw 2 large lionfish hugging the reef in 44' range. Looked like a pair ready to breed. Guess there's no stopping it now....

 

[Bratface]

We are doing our best in the islands. The CORE foundation has removed over 800 lionfish from the territories of St Thomas, St John and St Croix in a little more than a year.
The best way to help is to mark them if you have a marker (available at local dive shops), note where they are, at what depth and report them immediately to a dive shop so that they can be removed. The BVI's are getting trained in the program as well.

You can check out CORE foundation at The CORE Foundation or on facebook

 

[ReeferBen]

I dive off a private boat but will ask Colin from JVD Scuba or Keith from Blue water divers about the markers

 

[Rhone Man]

Fisherman have been pulling up Lionfish for a while now, but sightings by divers are still thankfullly rare.

But as you say, presumably it is just a matter of time now.

I am a bit of a fatalist on Lionfish - the rate they breed, and the locations they spread to means that just picking off one every few months is about as likely to be effective as the efforts of King Cnut. We just have to wait until they hit equilibrium and hope for the best.

 

[snturner]

Has anyone ate one of these fish? Sounds like we should start seeing them in the super market in a can.

 

[Rhone Man]

Has anyone ate one of these fish? Sounds like we should start seeing them in the super market in a can.

Lots of people eat them (Google: [GOOGLE]lion fish recipe[/GOOGLE])

But they are nowhere common enough to fish commercially.

 

[Insta-Gator]

So, are these fish protected in any way (possibly general fish hunting regulations) or can divers just stick a few as they see them? Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question, but I've never come across one. Lionfish hunting sounds like a constructive way to spend time underwater (I also enjoy hunting on land.)

 

[ReeferBen]

Well BVI has a no spear fishing law but apparently they are amending it to allow spearing of lionfish

 

[lionfish-eater]

I just got back from a week in roatan. The lionfish were everywhere. We saw at least 10 - 12 per dive. The DM had a small sling spear that was very effective at killing them. We kept the larger ones for a shore lunch when the boat returned for lunch. The smaller ones we left on the reef to be eaten by other fish. We watched a grouper eat one we left on the bottom. We also fed two to a snapper that was following us waiting for a free lunch. The ones we kept were eating size ( panfish size ) easy to filet. They tasted like perch or walleye. No fishy taste, light flakey white meat. Even my 16 year old son, who doesn't like fish, enjoyed the sweet fresh taste. We cooked our catch, but others made ceviche, which I love, but have had two bad experiences with and will no longer eat. The lionfish are easy to catch, as they just sit there unafraid of divers. However the fish that get away or are improperly speared will get weary over time and hide from divers. If I owned a restaurant on an Island affected by lionfish, I would contact every diveshop and local fisherman and offer $1 per fresh catch. I would then offer them to customers at a reduced rate with a contribution to the marine park. I hate when people say that there is nothing that can be done and nature will just take its course. Human involevment brought them to our shores and human appetites will be the ultimate solution. Perhaps after the Japanese fish bluefin tuna to extinction they can turn their attention to lionfish. The women can freedive for them just as they do for scallops or abalone. We can do somethig about the problem. Bring a filet knife and a box of seasoning on your next dive trip as a gift for the DM in exchange for cooking a shore lunch. We used the microwave at the dive shop, but a grill, fryer, or wood fire would also work. I will post some videos of catching, cleaning and eating them soon.

Save a reef - eat a lionfish today

 

[curious2dive]

They are everywhere. September 2010 the first one was located at Curacao. Now on every dive I make and that's daily we meet them in all sizes. There are divers that takes them out and there are divers who leaves them. I think it's everybody own choice. But one thing I can say they taste real good.
Because of the way they bread I'll say there here to stay, so let's change our menu and add the lionfish to it.