one of the coolest things we saw this trip!

[Sorrows]

I'm assuming that lionfish larvae/juveniles are pelagic, and that's how they are spreading so fast and so far, because the adults seem like real homebodies? So, yes, it is an international problem, but their nature to hang out at the same place perhaps explains why some locations seem more inundated with lionfish than others.

Completely anecdotal, of course, but I am one of those who can report seeing far fewer lionfish in the Pacific (Palau) than I have in the Caribbean, particularly Bonaire. In Palau, the DM still points the lionfish out--as a specimen fish. In Bonaire--oh, my word--they are everywhere. They used to ask divers to report sightings and put up a marker to help the rangers/dms find them and kill them. Then they decided there were too many markers on the reef, so stopped that practice. (WTH?) I have to say that I did see far fewer in Cozumel, but have no way to prove that this is because of diligence or just luck.

I like the (upthread) poster's idea of some sort of contraption that snips off the spines of the lionfish or somehow disables it so that predators can finish it off and (hopefully) get some ideas of their own--like eating the very young. I thought I had read somewhere that groupers have been found with juvenile lionfish in their guts--but not sure how they prove that. (ewww....)

Is the practice of killing lionfish and just leaving them around for whatever to pick up and eat, not also teaching fish to follow divers, expecting an easy meal? Has to be better than actually feeding them, though.

Obviously, lionfish will never be commercially viable as an eating fish--I guess it also doesn't provde the necessary excitement as a sporting fish for spearfishers?

 

[jd950]

I guess it also doesn't provde the necessary excitement as a sporting fish for spearfishers?

Actually there are many who love to spear lionfish, and when possible, eat them. The problem is that so many dive destinations in the Caribbean prohibit spearfishing, including for lionfish.

A number of countries have begun to allow it and lionfish killing competitions and barbeques are quite popular where they are allowed. Not a lot of "sport" in killing them, I suppose, but it is popular nonetheless.

Of course it isn't a solution to the problem, but it cuts down the populations a little.

 

[firstdive2005]

Yes Robin they have learned to hide better. Like the dogs of Coz that seem to have eyes in the back of their heads when near a street, amazing how we dont see more dogs dead on the roads. I really get wild when I see people post here that seem to be know-it-alls and need absolute proof that as we kill these lion fish, is doing any good for the reef? If some of you would go to the other iCaribbean slands that dont allow the culling of them, you would see that these reefs are vastly less populated than Coz. The Lion fish there are huge compared to the ones around the populated marine park area.
When I am diving there I go down deeper to get the ones that do go deep, they are the adults. They are huge. They are also very tricky to get. They dont pose for the shot like the young ones do.
Have the animals learned to get the lion fish that are at rec depth? Well I have not seen one go for one. I have had snapper go to where one is under a shelf, after I got the lion fish I dont kill it but take it to the water column to let the snapper finish it off. At least I used to. Now I just try to wound them and let them go out in the open sand areas. (or the odd anemone).

For what it's worth I truly believe those of us that have been killing the lion fish have been doing a great service to the reef population. Maybe we shouldnt feed the animals, I have had some come up looking for hand outs it would seem. or maybe I just look cute in my wetsuit. Maybe we should try to just mortaly wound the lion fish so the hunters learn to eat them. And I mean learn. It will take time, just like some of the divers I dive with, it seems to take a long time for them to learn how to dive safely. Just my yappy opinion

 

[Pelagicsal]

I often blind them before turning them loose. No chance of other fins compensating for that.

 

[cvchief]

FD, I don't think anyone thinks killing them is a bad idea. It is amazing to me how few we see in the park. It seems to me that it might better than a couple years ago. I can't see a downside to shooting them. The feeding thing seems probably a bad idea.

 

[simskiscuba]

Actually, if you could get the lobsters to start following divers around and begging for food, it would be kind of cute.

That makes for a great visual! For what it's worth; Last week in Cozumel in 12 dives I only saw 1 lionfish. Same time last year there were tons of them.

 

[Brules]

Killing them is not bad, feeding them to the fish IS.......when the marine park was formed, in addition to banning gloves, they outlawed feeding fish.

But now it is ok to feed them again because it is a lion fish? Sorry but I don't like it. I would prefer they be speared and dropped, or wounded so as was said above fish will hopefully figure out they can eat them without being handed a meal on a silver platter by a human.

So kill away, just don't feed them to the fish......let them figure it out on their own.

 

[cvchief]

I came to Coz after the park of course, but someone was talking about the DMs used to whip out a can of cheese whiz and feed the fish. Setting aside all sound biological practices for a second, who doesn't think that sounds REALLY FUN? (I wouldn't do it, back it down....) It does sound fun though right?

 

[Mike]

Only thing better then cheeze whiz is pop rocks

 

[robint]

I came to Coz after the park of course, but someone was talking about the DMs used to whip out a can of cheese whiz and feed the fish. Setting aside all sound biological practices for a second, who doesn't think that sounds REALLY FUN? (I wouldn't do it, back it down....) It does sound fun though right?

Yes, DMs and divers still do stupid things like this in some places. They also take frozen peas down to feed the fish. I think it is a horrible practice as their is really nothing edible for humans or fish in the cheese whiz. At least the peas are a vegetable. Feeding fish like that does make them more likely to follow around people, snorkelers in particular like to do it. I have heard of people getting bitten by fish due to this practice.

And in places we have dived in the Pacific, all food scraps from boats - breakfast, lunch, and dinner on a liveaboard as well as food prep scraps are tossed in the water behind the boats. We watched schools of fish hang out there, and sharks showed up to pick off the fish at night.... the food chain in action. It was part of our nightly entertainment... watching the sharks dart in and out of the schools.

And our dive boats in Hawaii used to have everyone toss their watermelon rinds, banana peels, etc. into the water for the fish. Ditto in Florida, Bonaire, California, NC, and Bahamas.

robin