LionFish in Bonaire

[mcohen1021]

PADI says you need to be certified to hunt them, even tho I am a DiveMaster.

LOL re: PADI....

 

[Jersey]

Lionfish seem to be a problem everywhere. I'm in the panhandle of Florida, and a buddy of mine convinced me to start shooting them. Best decision I was ever forced into! They taste awesome! Relatively easy to clean...just need shears of some sort to de-spine them. We shoot them, stuff em in the lionfish tube, and then when we get to the boat, open up the fish cooler...and just dump them in. No handling of them at all.

I can see WHY they don't want people shooting lionfish in Bonaire as they sit on, or very close to the rock/coral. You will hit coral or rock when you shoot them....so it makes sense to limit those taking them.

Someone said they are "fast"....must be different breed then ours... I watched my son shoot, miss, shoot, miss, shoot hit at one lionfish..it moved all of 2 inches Realize we are shooting on hard bottom and not coral where we are...or on wrecks so missing is not such a big deal.
For those that haven't tried it...I recommend you do. Sweet, light, and very flavorful fish!

So I'll jump on a 5 year old thread! It's the same pesky predator you find in Florida. In 2012 Bonaire was just starting their LF hunting course. They were more prevalent as no one, STINAPA excluded, was allowed to hunt, leading to a population explosion. Zookeeper didn't exist either, we were stuffing them, spines and all, into mesh goodie bags. My unscientific thought is hunting has controlled numbers where they are culled, but they exist deeper and locations not frequented. Their behavior has changed - deeper, tucked in back during the day, coming up and out after dusk. When we started hunting finding several at 30-40 feet was common. Now during daylight dives we'll pick them off singularly and usually deeper - 80 - 95 foot.

These little guys were poached in butter and lime, served with plantains and a salad. I also like to steam them whole.

My experience mirrors yours - I've seen 4 or 5 sitting out in the open, we pick them off and the others don't move. But we move slowly, purposefully and rarely miss. And go for the crucial head shot - don't want to mess up the fillets. My guess is many of the people diving Bonaire are do not spear a whole bunch, don't have the practice or ability to predict how the fish will react. Hence the 'they move quickly'. And they will move if you fling an ELF tip by their head and miss, I'd move too if you were firing steel tips in my direction.

Delicious it is! If you've not tried it, it's the perfect fish for ceviche. PM me if you want a great recipe or find it here Lionfish Ceviche | InfoBonaire