lionfish spearing program

[Ambassador Divers]

Hello everyone,

I am very excited to announce our new PADI speciality course, Cayman Islands lionfish culler. This course was written by our staff specifically to give guests the ability to not only hunt, but actually spear the invasive Red Lionfish. The class consists of 1.5 hours of theory followed by to culling dives where divers are taught how to safely spear and collect the Red Lionfish. Check out the video below for more details and happy hunting!

Ambassador Divers PADI Lionfish distinctive specialty - YouTube

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Very cool video. It is different to hear women saying that hunting and killing (fish) while diving is fun and exciting. Hunting and spearing larger and more challenging fish is even more fun..

I would think that a discussion of the special first aid techniques for treating strings would be included as well.

Lastly.. shooting fiberglass pole spears with no gloves.... You will end up with some nasty fiberglass splinters in your hands pretty quickly as the poles begin to wear. I much prefer an inexpensive, light weight aluminum barrel pole spear that completely avoids that problem.

 

[ian.b]

Are you issued a spear by the government to keep and use for culling like the DOE program does? or is it on loan from the dive company until the dives are finished?

 

[gb_williams]

Interesting. Very nice video. Divetech has been offering the PADI Lionfish specialty course since July 2011. Ambassador Divers are just getting around to it? How do you write a PADI specialty course that has been in existance for nearly two years?

 

[Ambassador Divers]

Residents are added to the DoE list to receive spears after completing the class. This is the same process one would go through after completing the DoE course. The difference being, our class puts the diver in the water with the spear giving them real world knowledge of how to safely cull the fish. Mr.gb-williams, I can't speak for what other dive operations might be doing, I can say without a doubt, Ambassador Divers offfers the ONLY PADI lionfish spearing certification in the Cayman Islands. The PADI class your referring to is a lionfish tracker program involving the use of nets not spears. After PADI approved our SPEARING course, they made a decision not to allow any further PADI distinctive specialty programs involving spearing or culling fish of any nature. While we don't agree with this decision, PADI made it clear that instructors certified to teach spearing/hunting classes prior to this decision are able to continue to certify students in the specialty programs.

 

[Fishspearit]

I think it's great news for Grand Cayman. So glad to see that the island is getting onboard with the idea of allowing tourists to hunt the lionfish. It's back on my list of potential vacations spots!

 

[ian.b]

As a non resident could I take the class and rent a spear during visits as my inlaws own a condo on the island and we visit quite often?

 

[Coconut Divers]

Great idea Ambassador Divers !
Unfortunatly the laws in Mexico do not allow us to follow you in this program yet.
Anyway i am afraid that this is still not enough to make a difference with the actual Lionfish problem.

Coconut Divers Cancun - Scuba Diving in Cancun

Leif Meinert
Coconut Divers Cancun

 

[Fishspearit]

Anyway i am afraid that this is still not enough to make a difference with the actual Lionfish problem.

I think most people realize by now that we aren't going to eliminate all of the lionfish, they are too well established. Hunting lionfish on the reefs where we dive is not about eliminating lionfish. It's about the native fish like grouper, snapper, etc. that breed in the shallow waters where we dive. By limiting the lionfish populations in these areas we give the native fish a chance to sustain their populations while nature seeks an equilibrium with the lionfish.

If you live on a riverbank and you see the water level rising, do you throw your hands up in the air and say 'it's going to flood, nothing we can do about it', or do you start filling sand bags and line the edges to hold it back as long as possible? The water level will still rise, but the less the water erodes the shoreline the better chance your house has of standing. I think that's where we're at with the lionfish.

And it's also fun.

 

[billinwilliamston]

I know my evidence is purely anecdotal, but I have noticed that in my neighborhood (Key West) the sites where taking lionfish fish is allowed have a lower percentage of lionfish than those where it is not allowed. I have also noticed that there is a lower percentage of lionfish in the more frequently dived sites where spearing is allowed than there are in the less popular ones where it's allowed.

I must not be alone in my observations since the Florida DOE is strongly considering allowing the spearing of lionfish in the marine sanctuary. The fact that they would even think of allowing spears in the sanctuary for any reason must mean something.

If divers can't decimate a population, then why are certain species off limits to spearing and why do we have a lobster season rather than allowing year-round hunting?