Lionfish Alert October 30th 2016 Bonaire

[uncfnp]

If anyone on island is willing and able there was a large lionfish south from entry at Kite City at about 75 feet and about 30 minutes at our speed dive time.

And there was at least 2 pairs on the north dive same site and I loner.

Bas? Anyone? Go get 'em.

 

[DustyC]

You're supposed to be able to tell the dive ops. At one time they would even give you little flags. I'll link this to a lionfish hunters group.

 

[uncfnp]

You're supposed to be able to tell the dive ops. At one time they would even give you little flags. I'll link this to a lionfish hunters group.

Thanks. Will check with DF in am. First day diving and already seeing more then usual. Hope its not a trend.

Will post back with additional sightings this week if notable,sizes or numbers.

On the up side I got a good oppotunity to get pics with our new gopro tray and lights.

 

[pa diver]

Saw 6 at chez hines north of bouy (15 min) at 45-50' 3 small one very large and dark. Saw 7 more heading south 4 very small at 50' 3 larger at 70'. In case anyone is in the area.

 

[uncfnp]

Hey @pa diver. I haven't dove chez hines since my first trip to Bonaire when we stayed in that area. Are you staying near by or is there a public access site for that reef?

Ok. Some good news on Sweet Dreams south was clean for our dives but Vista Blue South had a grouping of about six gathered at 45 feet and 30 minutes at a slow pace.

Dive Friends Port Bonaire aware.

 

[oldschoolto]

Here is were to post.... Bonaire Lionfish Hunters Public Group | Facebook

Jim...

 

[uncfnp]

Thanks Jim. I checked and that is the link DustyC set up so the posts are seen there too.

 

[Compressor]

Does the government allow hunting of these menace fish?

 

[wwguy]

Does the government allow hunting of these menace fish?

From the FAQ on the Bonaire Lionfish Hunters Facebook page:

As there are many recurring questions about Lionfish hunting rules and regulations on Bonaire we have added this FAQ to address the most common questions. Please read this section first before you post!

1. Can I hunt Lionfish on Bonaire?
Yes, you can but only under very strict rules. By law spearfishing is banned on Bonaire. You can find the Marine Park rules here: http://www.bmp.org/rulesandregulations.html
To keep the lionfish problem under control, STINAPA (the National Park Foundation) has implemented a program allowing active divers amongst the islands residents to obtain a special permit and a special spear (the ELF) to remove Lionfish from our reef. By popular demand from our guests, they also implemented a program allowing participating dive shops to take their guests on guided hunting dives.

2. Why am I not allowed to hunt on my own?
This is clearly a point of some debate. STINAPA has implemented the strict rules with 2 main objectives in mind. Safety of our reefs and safety of our divers. To maximize safety of our reefs, a balance has to be found between catching a maximum number of Lionfish with doing a minimum amount of reef damage. To achieve this it helps to find very active divers who have perfect buoyancy control and know the conditions on Bonaire very well. Luckily we have a large group of very active and able hunters on Bonaire (thank you hunters!!!). Even without 'guest participation' we've had the problem pretty much under control for quite some time now. But in order to at least let our guests 'flavor' the thrill of Lionfish hunting a visitor hunting program was implemented. It is very easy to lose track of depth limits, air limits or bottom time limits and equally easy to panic when stung by a Lionfish. To ensure diver safety and proper hunting technique (thus reef safety) STINAPA only allows visitors to hunt when guided by a certified local guide.

3. How can I obtain my own permit and ELF?
You need to be a resident for this and you need to be Lionfish Hunting certified. So step 1 would be to get certified and your certifying dive operating can help you with step 2 (getting your contract and spear from STINAPA)

4. I saw a ton of lionfish at site XYZ...how can you say that the issue is 'under control'?
First of all it depends on what you call 'a ton of lionfish'. In their natural environment you'd see 3-4 lionfish on any given dive. If that is what you encounter on Bonaire then we call that 'under control'. In actively hunted areas the numbers tend to go down to pretty much zero, but when not actively hunted for a while the numbers go up again, followed by hunters visiting that area again. If you happen to see a lot of Lionfish on a dive, please post it on this forum and no doubt one of the active hunters will act on it. Please note dive site, approximate depth, approximate size and number of lionfish and how far North or South from entry you think the fish are.

 

[oldschoolto]

For those that dive with dive friends... Darcy.. Who works at dive friends , Loves to take people Lionfish hunting... He works at Yellow sub... I will tell you up front.. Darcy is deaf, You need to be willing to work at understanding him or know how to sign ... He's a great guy and a very good diver and lionfish hunter...

Jim...

Edit to add... Funny as hell and loves to have a good time...