blackwolfmt - 5-18-2015 at 04:54 PM
Any nomads spearfish for Lion fish in the Cortez
[Edited on 5-18-2015 by blackwolfmt]
monoloco - 5-19-2015 at 12:02 AM
I never encountered one in the SOC, but speared lots of them in Hawaii. They are excellent eating.
Pompano - 5-19-2015 at 07:16 AM
Too many lionfish might be a bad thing for the SOC?
I read this in a Diver magazine article written by Jean-Michel Cousteau, the son of Jacques Cousteau. that the current lionfish explosion in the
Bahamas has severely affected the fishing and tourism business there and they are desparate to control the lionfish.
It seems it was due to a simple twist of fate. "It is reported that in 1992, Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 hurricane that caused $26.5 billion in
damage and took 65 lives, also broke a single aquarium tank in Florida, washing half a dozen lionfish, a species native to the Indo-Pacific region,
into the Atlantic Ocean.
It’s an incident that might have been noted only on an insurance claim except for the dramatic consequences: by 2007, those few lionfish had exploded
into a population so large, healthy and aggressive that they were decimating the reefs of the Bahamas by eating juvenile fish of many species. A
recent study claims that a single lionfish can kill three-quarters of a reef’s small fish population in just five weeks.
Now fishing and tourism in the Bahamas are actually threatened by the invasion and the best hope is that Bahamians and tourists develop a taste for
this newly abundant fish. Some enterprising fishers and chefs are now serving lionfish in local restaurants. With a financial incentive, we may
become the predator that restores ecological balance to what we unbalanced.
Or, if we cannot be effective, one would hope that some natural population control diminishes the number of the lionfish and establishes a new
equilibrium on the reef. It is a dramatic reminder that, regardless of our intentions, our influence can have unpredictable and dramatic effects."
Good grief, the poor SOC has endured so much...and now possibly this! Divers, target those lionfish!
Tomas Tierra - 5-19-2015 at 04:44 PM
Are we talking about the lion fish that will sting the crap outa you??
treuboff - 5-19-2015 at 04:48 PM
yes
Pompano - 5-19-2015 at 04:48 PM
Oh yeah...that would be not nice at all. The spines will do damage for sure.
[Edited on 5-19-2015 by Pompano]
55steve - 5-19-2015 at 04:49 PM
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=spearfishing+lionfish+fl...
55steve - 5-19-2015 at 04:52 PM
The fish is quite tasty from what I hear.
blackwolfmt - 5-19-2015 at 05:13 PM
Thanks for the reply's Nomads my bud just got back from tobago and spearfished for them and told me about them being a invasive fish great vid 55
MICK - 5-20-2015 at 02:26 PM
They are doing a good job of keeping them down here in cozumel. I have only gotten 4 in the last three weeks
Tomas Tierra - 5-20-2015 at 03:10 PM
I thought they were relatively small??
How big are we talking?
TT
Skipjack Joe - 5-20-2015 at 06:46 PM
And I thought they lived in floating sargasso weeds. How dangerous can they be to reef fish. Clearly need to do more reading.
msteve1014 - 5-21-2015 at 06:30 AM
http://www.bdoutdoors.com/article/fishing-chick-rachel-bowma...
Here is some more info. about lion fish and reefs.
MICK - 5-21-2015 at 07:39 AM
I have seen them on reefs all over the Caribbean Sea some places are doing a good job of keeping them down some like the Bahamas not so much. I have
seen them as big as 14 inches long.they are in fact good to eat. They make great ceviche.
Mick
bajabuddha - 5-21-2015 at 08:02 AM
Never caught one in the SOC, but they remind me of sculpins. A very painful poke if pointed at the palm or pinkie. Also touted as very tasty
eating.... i'm told one can use dykes (diagonal-cut pliers, you perverts) to clip off all the spines and fins, then fillet. I prefer a different
method; hemostats or needle-nose pliers and return them to whence they came. Just not worth a flip or a flop in the boat or bucket to catch a wayward
toe or ankle; too many variables including age and loss of reflexes. Same goes with puffers; not worth the risk.
redhilltown - 5-23-2015 at 11:48 PM
Sculpin is just about as tasty of fish as there is. Marcos whom I fish with out of Puerto Santo Tomas makes SURE they are deceased (thank you lead
pipe) and then takes pliers to their dorsal spines pulling them off. When alone and I catch one shore fishing I do the same as Buddha and send them
back home.
Lionfish I would assume are similar...I think they get about as big as a football if you include the showy fins.
4Cata - 5-24-2015 at 12:25 AM
bajabuddy, you have a wicked sense of humor, I love it!
basautter - 5-24-2015 at 12:29 PM
Kill them if u see them. They are an invasive species with a big appetite for smaller fish. I hear they are good eating, but watch out for the
spines!
chippy - 5-24-2015 at 02:26 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnHYBy0oVkson
Lion fish classic!
blackwolfmt - 5-24-2015 at 05:28 PM
Funny Chippy