Lionfish invasion?

[billvi]

We have started to see them in the US Virgin Islands and most of the dives shops have banded together and organized to try and keep them under control. (If that is possible) At least try to remove them from sites that we take tourists to dive. I use a foldspear because I can carry it and no one knows what it is until I find a lionfish. That way the squeamish divers don't have to know I am carrying a spear. I use a shortened one, only four sections and use a modified trident tip. I took two trident tips to a local welder and had all six put on one tip. Works great and you never miss. I have one of our divers from the mainland making me some without the barbs. The biggest problem with having six prongs is you have six barbs to get the fish off of. If you are on facebook look up Caribbean Lionfish Response.

 

[Texas Torpedo]

Hey Billvi,

I like what you have done with the trident.. (got pics for those who might not know what it looks like?) I also have a foldspear but use my mini spear gun most often with the trident or a omersub 3-5 point, which I call a mini-wall-of-death.. Hard to miss... As for removing them, I carry another spear which is usually clipped off to my crotch-strap D ring.. I know a lot of people don't care for the barbs much but I love them.. Rarely does any size lionfish get off a barb, and when you shove them free, they won't be lasting long regardless of them bolting or not.

Hopefully some of the local wildlife is taking an interest in them.. While I enjoy passing them off to the local marine park, I feel we are much more effective killing and ditching them, rather than collecting.

Here's a vid of me playing dinner server to a frisky little spotted eel:
YouTube - Spotted Eel eating a lionfish in Cozumel

We have started to see them in the US Virgin Islands and most of the dives shops have banded together and organized to try and keep them under control. (If that is possible) At least try to remove them from sites that we take tourists to dive. I use a foldspear because I can carry it and no one knows what it is until I find a lionfish. That way the squeamish divers don't have to know I am carrying a spear. I use a shortened one, only four sections and use a modified trident tip. I took two trident tips to a local welder and had all six put on one tip. Works great and you never miss. I have one of our divers from the mainland making me some without the barbs. The biggest problem with having six prongs is you have six barbs to get the fish off of. If you are on facebook look up Caribbean Lionfish Response.

 

[DebbyDiver]

If you are on facebook look up Caribbean Lionfish Response.

You can "like" them at Login | Facebook or you can "friend" them at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001056440651&ref=search

 

[theodorthiele]

Sorry to wake up a fairly old thread, but just got almost astonished by how complicated and dangerous you guys make i sound to kill these buggers. I'm atm working as a Divemaster in Bocas del Toro, Panamá. Here we have an organisation called I Spear Lionfish (ispearlionfish.org), who's organizing Round up days, and talks to educate locals and turists about the issue.
When it comes to the spear and killing, it's all far from as complicated as you state it. I killed my first 10+ lionfish using a "spear" made from half a broomstick with a nail gaffa'ed to the end. Of course not optimal in any way, but just stating the fact that a spear can be pretty much anything, AND can be easily made with whatever any diveshop would have around, and a bit of creative thinking. We even made a very effective "small-fish-spear" from a fork and a stick, not to mention the local divemaster who still sticks with killing all the lionfish he would see, by bashing them with his snorkel (i guess he's one of the guys on the island with the most killed lionfish through time.

So if you want to help the reef by killing these small bugger, or simply are hungry, don't let the fact that you don't have a store that sell spears neaby stop you. Find a pole of some sort, and whatever pointy item, and something to put the two together, and you got a spear. As when it comes to keeping the fish untill you reach the surface, i normally bring a short spear with a long point and simply stack them onto that, if the fish are smaller i just have them on the barb against the sand, and cut of the head(no spines on the head)

Good luck hunting!

Theodor