INVASIVE SPECIES – LIONFISH - DIVERS CATCH RECORD 31,773 OF THESE VENEMOUS PREDATORIAL FISH INFLORIDA FISHING TOURNAMENT
Last year, in Florida’s 2024 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee (“FWC”) Lionfish Challenge, they had record participation and removal of the invasive species by hundreds of divers. Around 285 divers caught Lionfish in more than 700 dives. This was a very cool tournament because the participating divers had 3 ½ months to catch as many Lionfish as they could. The tournament ended on September 2, 2024, and the total catch was almost 32,000 fish. That’s a lot of fish!
Lionfish are bad news invasive species that have been decimating native fish populations since they first appeared off the South Florida coast in 1985. Perhaps you have heard more about the Burmese pythons decimating mammal and bird populations in the Florida Everglades. “Lionfish eat native fish and compete for food with commercial species, such as snapper and grouper, affecting both the ecosystem and economy, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.” Lionfish have huge appetites and are pretty much nondiscriminatory predators. They eat almost everything, and they have very few predators (although I have seen a few big groupers gobble them up quickly).
I have caught a few lionfish. You can use spears and/or nets. They are very beautiful fish (at least I think so), but they must be eliminated because they are destroying Florida’s marine ecosystems. If you decide to try hunting lionfish, you must be careful not to touch any of the Lionfish’s 18 venomous spines. But once the spines are removed, you can eat the fish which I have been told is delicious.
So, get on out there and catch a few lions or taste one and see if you like it! The native species will be grateful.
References:
https://www.sunherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article292574614.html
https://www.sunherald.com/article290091759.html
Photo by Francesco Ungaro: https://www.pexels.com/photo/fishes-and-coral-reefs-in-depth-of-blue-sea-3805131/
