FL Declares War on Lionfish

[Kentucky Colonel]

It is open season, folks. 

And, because it is Florida, these have poisonous spines. 
We are the Australia of the US when it comes to dangerous 
wildlife. Bring an appetite or the critters might eat you! :lol:


Florida Wages War on Lionfish

Florida is overrun with lionfish and the Sunshine State is trying to eat its way out of the invasion.
The first lionfish was found in the ocean here in 1985, believed to have been released from someone's personal aquarium. Since then, the fish -- native to the South Pacific and Indian Oceans -- have spread rapidly from the Gulf of Mexico to the coast of Rhode Island.
Now, Florida residents are waging war on the exotic fish that are harming the state's underwater ecosystem, reports CBS News correspondent David Begnaud.
When Christine Raininger goes scuba diving these days, she takes a spear. "I'm an undersea lion hunter," Raininger said.
Her target are lionfish - an exotic fish more commonly found in aquariums than the Eastern Atlantic.
"I kind of hoped I would've gotten more but that's okay," Rainginger said.
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<h3 class="post-content">Lionfish: Sea creatures behind an alarming invasion</h3>
With no natural predators and huge appetites, the lionfish are decimating once lively coral reefs.
Now, Floridians - like Raininger -- are fighting back.
"When I see the lion fish, I'll spear them and if they are too small to eat, I still know I'm taking them off the reef," Raininger said.
In Florida, it is open season on lionfish. The state is setting up roundups to encourage both amateur and professional fishermen to get the fish out of the local water.
"The more the public can get involved and the more fish that we can take off this reef, the better already threatened species have a better chance," said Ryan Lindh, a commercial fisherman.
The spines along the fish's back are venomous and potentially dangerous if handled incorrectly, but the meat is safe to eat and rich in flavor.
Now, supermarket chains are making it available to customers who are willing to give it a try.
David Ventura is seafood coordinator for Whole Foods market in Florida. They recently became the first national retailer to start selling lionfish statewide.
"Our core value is to be stewards of the environment. And the lionfish definitely don't play by those set of rules," Ventura said.
Customers say they like more than just the taste.
"So... the majority of people who buy in your store are doing it because they want to help the environment?" Begnaud asked.
"Correct," Ventura responded. "That is their initial response, is the environment."
Lionfish is now sold in all 26 of Florida stores and starting this week, will be sold nationwide in select cities.
"To see that there's a market for them, hopefully that'll increase the awareness of the problem and create more incentive to take them," Raininger said.
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[Buck Conner1]

KC are you helping out by eating your share of lionfish along with your friends statewide.

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

I was just re-certified for scuba last week. I had not been down since 2002. I have been considering going after some Lion Fish.  
 
I think I have all the equipment. (Reminds me, I need to tend to my three-pronged spear. It needs some care and oil.) I need to find a dive buddy who knows how/where and hopefully has access to the right boat. Might go Bugging, too. (Those are lobsters.)

I have never had the chance to try the Lion Fish meat. It is not at the local Publix. 

Ponce de Leon Spring w/ Dive Instructor, Lindsey. She works at The Marine Science Center rehabilitating injured Sea Turtles.

I dive Devils Den and Blue Grotto next Saturday and am on the range with Central Florida Muzzleloaders on Sunday. 
While it has been painfully slow, my exercise routine and training for my first Spartan Run next August is having an impact. 
I am definitely struggling, but I am getting to do a lot of stuff. AND, my shooting has improved because I am stronger, steadier, 
and my breathing is better.

So, yes. I am liable to go git me some Lion Fish! 8)8)8)

 

[patocazador]

I used to dive when you could shoot fish anywhere  with no size or bag limits but the rules became so complicated that I stopped. 

Bubbles scare fish. Because of this I used an old US Divers "Aqua Lung" just like Jacques Cousteau. The exhaled air came out behind your head and didn't make as much noise.

I speared a large Nassau grouper by holding my breath and digging in the reef debris. He came in to see what was going on. They are illegal now too.

The average lionfish weighs just over a pound and are supposed to taste good but you'll need a lot of them for a fish fry.

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

OK, cool. We have some one here who knows how to get Lion Fish.

Did you use your own boat? How did you find them? How did you handle their poisonous quills? 

Since these fish have no rules anymore, can we tempt you back into the water? Then I would not need to find a new dive buddy. (I irresponsibly lost my last one. Its all good. His widow and I are still on good terms.  ) I know about your med condition. As long as your Doc signs off, no worries. I am a Hoover, but an easy going scuba buddy. Slow is GO.

And, "I used an old US Divers "Aqua Lung" just like Jacques Cousteau." I already knew this. Didn't you two dive together? :twisted:

 

[Buck Conner1]

And, "I used an old US Divers "Aqua Lung" just like Jacques Cousteau." I already knew this. Didn't you two dive together? :twisted:

No, Jacques was to young it was his mother that he dove with .... :shock:      :lol:   :Laughing blue:

 

[patocazador]

I quit diving because of the limits placed on divers who spear-fished. That was before the lionfish made an appearance in our waters.
From talking to the young guys who go after them, they say the lionfish have moved into deeper water due to the pressure. Sometimes as deep as 120' .. that limits your dive time to 15 minutes or so unless you want to go through decompression. I always dived with one tank only and you really can't get in trouble that way, We had "J" valves then, no gauges. When you ran out of air, you pulled your J-valve and surfaced.
I bought a gas-powered air compressor for refilling tanks and kept it on my boat. You pointed the intake upwind of the compressor and filled a tank but a 72 cubic ft. tank took almost an hour to fill. After filling it and eating lunch, you had decompressed enough to dive again. 

My high school buddy and I put in at Ft. Lauderdale in '73 and went to the Bahamas for 2 weeks. We ate queen triggerfish and lobster almost every meal. The triggerfish was so good that we flipped a coin and the loser had to eat lobster. We also brought 5 cases of Coors that I smuggled in from Wyoming. You couldn't get it in the East back then.