11/15/09

Abaco Lionfish Hunt





Here is a recent email and pictures from a couple of lionfish hunters fro Abaco.

We got twenty of them on November 4th. They were very concentrated on some rocks in the Sea of Abaco in relatively shallow water (6-12) off of Marsh Harbour, Bahamas. We did not see many on the reefs in the Atlantic...we shot one in the Atlantic on Oct 27th.
On November 4th we were targeting the lionfish specifically....after seeing some of the videos on Youtube and looking at your site, we decided to spend a day hunting them. I put on a temporaryLionFish Tattoo I had found on the internet before we left for the bahamas.
I wonder if Sharks or Grouper or large Snapper will be able to develop into Lionfish predators over time to establish a balance?
Best of luck to you.
jim

10 comments:

Tim said...

Great pics, good story. we went lionfish hunting in the Bahamas a couple of weeks back, we actually fed a couple of lionfish to a shark & two eels. You can see pics and story here http://savingtheatlanticreefs.blogspot.com/

Freedive said...

Thx for the link on feeding the lionfish to sharks and eels. We'll have to give that a try. We generally toss the fish carcasses in the water after filleting fish...I noticed that the Gray Snapper along the boat dock really didn't want to pick at the lionfish carcasses even though the spines were removed...but they were gone two days later...so, something got them

I haven't loaded all my videos but here's a short easy shot on a lionfish in the Sea of Abaco shallows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3SC45TQ9Rc

Renata Lana said...

Hello!

I'm working on an "eat lionfish" campaign for NOAA. We're hosting a number of tasting dinners to generate some large-scale momentum for eating lionfish, which is a great way to get them off the reefs. We'd like to host a number of events, but need help with supply (e.g. divers who can go out, get lionfish, and ship them to us for a few key events). Can you help connect us and/or get the word out? People can contact me at renata.lana@noaa.gov

andyszymczak said...

Thanks for your work. i'm a student in vermont who was recently on San Salvador at the research station and I was focusing my research on habitat types for the lionfish. It appears they have few specifics, outside of a good prey source.
Either way, your website has been super helpful for me to learn about these fish and their impact on the ecosystem. Thanks for your time and effort!

Freedive said...

It would be interesting to see Lionfish on the menu at restaurants in the bahamas. Could be an environmentally-friendly meal that sells at a premium.

Unknown said...

stop killlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll suun of bitch

Anonymous said...

I just happened to stumble onto this site. I am a PADI Master Dive Instructor working at the Beaches Resort & Spa in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands.

There have been many sighting of this invader here. I have and is still working with the local authorities on addressing this problem.

I want to have the laws changed here in the TCI where persons can be certified to catch and kill this beast. The net method, should be optional for divers who are certified and licenced to kill.

If we truly want to rid, ok, control this predator, we need a more aggressive approach to riding our reefs of this creature.

You guys in the Bahamas are doing a great job. Keep it up.

You can contact me at buzoazul@hotmail.com if you wish to collaborate in this effort in the future.

Anonymous said...

What do you do to protect yourself from an accidental stick by a lion fish?

Have you ever been stuck?
( if so what happened? )

My wife and I have a 180 gallon reef dedicated to lionfish. We use to have blackfoot lionfish but they are so hard to come by.

Tim said...

I have not personally been stuck, but have seen others go through the pain. It is not pleasant. The best course of action to ensure you do not get stuck is to stay away from the poisonous quills. wearing gloves will provide some protection, but the sticky little things can even go through that, if it hits it just right.

Anonymous said...

I was stung in Roatan last year. After I speared it with a sling, I was sliting it's throat with my dive knife against the rock when it rolled and pricked me in the knuckles of my left hand. Bearable at first, I finished the dive 45 minutes later. When we surfaced the pain became unbearable. They rushed me back to the dock and got me to a clinic where I was given a steroid shot for the swelling and a lytocain shot for the pain. $25 and 30 minutes later I was in the cab riding back to the place we had rented. Thank god I was not in the United States. No telling what that would have cost or how long it would have taken to get treated here. Did not even have to fill out any paperwork or provide identification to get treated in Roatan, Honduras. If you get stung I hope you are someplace with that kind of healthcare system. I was back diving the next morning hunting lion fish with a vengeance.