To kill or not to kill lionfish in the Caribbean and Florida?

[Kharon]

It has been a long time since the human obsession with otter skin coats eliminated the Oregon sea otter. Attempts to reintroduce other otters into the area have failed. The devastating effects of the loss of that critical part of the ecosystem are now pretty standard parts of school curricula.

Just watched Blue Planet II: Green Seas last night. It included a segment that showed the rebounded sea otter population. There were hundreds in just one pod. Tons more spread over a huge area. There are so many that urchen barrons (areas devoid of kelp due to urchen devestation) have recovered to become kelp forests again.

 

[Russell Bowyer]

Please note that feeding a lionfish to a shark or a grouper or a moray doesn't make that shark or grouper or that moray a predator. And there is NO scientific evidence that the predators learn to predate. What they learn is to beg from divers. Which is not a desirable result....

There was a lot of hope and hype early on. It has not panned out.

I agree the 'begging' is not a desirable result. This may result in uninvited activity or behaviour round divers and change the natural state of the reef environment.

 

[Russell Bowyer]

While there's no credible chance lionfish spearing will drive them into extinction regionally, there's a credible chance it will remain some 'reservations' of protected reef space where prey species and maintain viable populations, perhaps enabling survival of their species, as we wait for 'nature' to achieve this anticipated new equilibrium.

An equilibrium that may still see the extinction of some species.

Spear'em!!!

Richard.

I hope the extinction of species result is not what happens here, as that would be disastrous!

 

[Kimela]

As the t-shirts say, "Kill em and grill em" - or ceviche is good too. But when we're with a group that is hunting lionfish we go in the opposite direction. We have no interest in hunting them and don't want to get in between sharks and bloody fish.

 

[Bogtrotter]

These traps sound promising in helping to harvest them beyond rec scuba depths.

Love ceviche, and I would really like to try lionfish sashimi- yum.

(nmnh.typepad.com)

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

I can't believe nobody has posted this yet.... it's old news, highly impractical, and limited for other reasons, but it is still a pretty neat idea...


Jay

 

[drbill]

Actually, do we know what depths they will go to, as Boulderjohn talks about 200 feet, I must admit I thought they had a tendency to be in the shallower reefs up to around 20-40 metres (65-130 feet). But I guess I am mistaken?

I've heard they may be found as deep as 500 ft (but have never gone to such depths to check them out!)

 

[gopbroek]

I've heard they may be found as deep as 500 ft (but have never gone to such depths to check them out!)

I have heard that using a submarine in Roatan they have seen them at 600' but a quick google search showed a TA post claiming 700', https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...Islands.html&usg=AOvVaw0qfN7Cs0MoTFa7AWbXkgXe .

I have a friend who uses a rebreather in Cozumel and has done a few sweeps of the walls for us at 200' to 300'. He has reported that while he sees some very large fish at depth he does not see a large population density. Basically they get fully mature because they have no predators in that range but I think the population stabilizes due to the lower overall food supply at those depths.

 

[covediver]

A variation on this theme was recently the subject of a conversation in Hawaii
Covediver's Log: Please Dont Kill the (Hawaiian) Lionfish

 

[Russell Bowyer]

These traps sound promising in helping to harvest them beyond rec scuba depths.

Love ceviche, and I would really like to try lionfish sashimi- yum.
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(nmnh.typepad.com)

MMMMM that looks good! Not have it does Ceviche style, will have to try it next time I'm in the Caribbean or Florida!