Roatan

[billmosel]

They are trying to keep them out of the waters in the caribbean because they are not native to the area. They are eating native juvies and therefore the normal population of the caribbean waters could be in jeopardy. By the time the groupers in the area find out that they are good eating it could be to late to control.

 

[Snappahead]

View attachment lionfish.bmp

 

[scubaduo92]

Thanks for the pic. It sounds like we will probably see some in January. I have mixed emotions about this as we would like to have a pic of one of them, but do not like the idea of them spreading so fast without a natural preditor. Everything changes. Lionfish and Ski-lifts? Better get there fast before the polar bears move in!

 

[Doc]

View attachment 68970

:idea: Are they on your menu, yet?

 

[Snappahead]

Funny you asked that...I did a little research, they only get to be around 8-10 inches fully grown, so that's lot of fish cleaning to get a decent size meal, let alone something you'd have at a restaurant. That said, it might be interesting to try it every now and then. I've heard they ARE pretty tasty.

 

[CajunDiva]

any chance you can post a picture I think I know what they look like we will be at AKR in two weeks> Are they trying to catch them to control the population??

I've never attached a picture before, but there's no time like the present to learn, I suppose

 

[diverken374]

Dove in Cozumel last Nov. 2008 and the week I left Lion fish were spotted there.
Dove in Roatan in Feb. 2009 and the week after I left Lion fish were reported there. I think that I may be responsible for this infestation! I have heard other explanations however. The Gulf stream current from Florida ? however they should have been seen in Roatan before Cozumel. The cruise ship in their balast as they tend to travel from Coz to Roatan. Yes a potentially losing battle with 30,000 eggs spawned every 3 months by these fish with no natural predators.
I will try to remember to rinse out my BCD better between trips

 

[castaways01]

I saw a Lion Fish in Roatan about 5 years ago in a pristine cove (at that time) known as Half Moon, between Neverstain Bight and Caribe Pointe (southside). A new resort "Media Luna" was just completed there. Anyway, I reported it to the Marine Park like a good steward of the environment. Also posted it on the Roatan residents yahoo group. They ALL said there ARE NO Lion Fish in Roatan and it is a case of mistaken identity. Well, ya know the rest of that story!

 

[scubaduo92]

Sounds like they have been around awhile, which makes sense. Are any of these fish everyone is seeing full grown? That would explain a time frame of how long they they've been there. I suppose it doesn't matter on which side of the island you dive? They are pobably all over as Doc said. How deep do these fish live?

 

[Doc]

The invasive Caribbean Lionfish are said to measure out to 22", which is substantially larger than they achieve in their former native waters (where they face predators and competition for food, topping out at 12"). It would be hard to use the length as a gauge to accurately identify the age of Caribbean individuals due to this localized accelerated growth.

Experts have told me that Lionfish spend time frequently at much greater depths than we humans go scuba diving. Their body structures are based on predation in low visibility, close-in targets of opportunity that they slowly maneuver into a corner before swallowing them whole.

Thus~ We are only stumbling across a very few of the population (as with 99% of all the ocean's critters that we manage to see). This is why intentional human eradication is a splendid portrayal of hubris- once again we're over-estimating our ability to rectify changes caused by our mere presence. Groupers are known to eat them, along with humans.

Maybe that will kill them off. C'mon butter and lemon!