Hunting for Lionfish. The New East Coast Past Time.
Photo Credit: Tom Owen
Over the past decades, fisheries in general have been on the decline. Modern technology helps increase total catch resulting in dwindling populations. Authorities are forced to place quotas on species in hopes of preserving school size. Though this is typically the case, Florida authorities are encouraging divers to capture and kill Lionfish!
Though a beautiful specimen, lionfish are a serious threat to the health of Florida’s reefs. Native to the Indo-pacific waters, lionfish found there way to Florida during Hurricane Andrew (1992) when an aquarium broke allowing the fish to enter Biscayne Bay. With no natural predators, Lionfish have been able to thrive in the Caribbean and Atlantic, heading as far north as the Carolinas.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as well as nonprofit group REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation) both support the open hunting season. Zachary Bamman of REEF explains that lionfish “pose a huge threat to the reef because they eat all the fish, and economically important marine species like grouper and snapper, lobster and shellfish.”
Divers who capture the lionfish are asked to freeze the animal in water and send them to wildlife authorities for further research. But remember don’t touch the spines; though not fatal they have been known to cause severe pain, swelling, and even convulsions.
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