Invasive lionfish spearing :)

D

deadmeat2016

Wouter
Joined
19 Jul 2009
Posts
1,506
Reaction score
22
Location
Gordons bay
I know alot of yo:blush:u are gonna hate me for this post:eek:

I just got back from cozumel mexico and had heard they needed more ppl to spear the invasive lionfish, i was happy to oblige as they are a serious problem. I scored 5 fully grown adults and was praised by the locals for my catches, even cooking them for me(tastes like crap). they are multiplying at an incredible rate and consume up to 8 reef fish an hour, no reef fish, no reef. get me?

I did feel bad spearing a fish we pay around 200R for but it was enjoyable and i felt i was saving the reef in my own small little way. I own 3 lions in my mixed tank and they are beautiful animals with alot of intelligence and character.

Just wondering what you guys think?

Oh and once speared, snappers and groupers and eels chow them like biscuits
 
Form of culling, necessary. Other side of the coin, why are there so many, could be a result of our selfish interference?
 
i heard they escaped from ppl's aquarium from the 1992 hurricane, they are multiplying at a ridiculous rate.

But nature always finds a way to balance itself
 
deadmeat2016 said:
i heard they escaped from ppl's aquarium from the 1992 hurricane
Click to expand...

That is interesting. I don't know exactly where Lionfish are endemic, but I suppose if they have no natural predotors.......
 
They aren't natural, when we did a dive there, we got paid to catch them as credit to dives
There was a huge article in coral mag a while back
 
dallasg said:
They aren't natural, when we did a dive there, we got paid to catch them as credit to dives
There was a huge article in coral mag a while back
Click to expand...

Wish i was paid, and as i said in the former post, theyh are invasive and damaging the reefs with their gluttony. very sad to spear such a beautiful animal but they are invasive
 
Accidents happen in nature too
 
its just a shame its such a beautiful fish, they have no natural predators in the carribbean which is why they are invasive, and they multiply exponentially, a dive master told me if they eat enough, they get full size in 4 months!!
 
That's insane, their predators here are scorpion fish and?
 
dallasg said:
That's insane, their predators here are scorpion fish and?
Click to expand...

I dunno dude, all i know is theyre breeding so fast its uncontrollable, they have lionfish comps aswell qith who can catch the biggest
 
Biodiversity to blame again. When will the aquarist stop getting blamed for natures inevitable's.

Also why are we intervening? Evolution is taking place and one wants to try and procrastinate change. It will happen and their is nothing we can do about it. If we are concerned about the now what affect do our interventions now affect the future?. Could we be blamed for interfering in some imbalance that nature is correcting now. Unless you see into the future interfering is interfering with the future and trying to create today's longevity restricting future life.
 
Nemos Janitor said:
Biodiversity to blame again. When will the aquarist stop getting blamed for natures inevitable's.

Also why are we intervening? Evolution is taking place and one wants to try and procrastinate change. It will happen and their is nothing we can do about it. If we are concerned about the now what affect do our interventions now affect the future?. Could we be blamed for interfering in some imbalance that nature is correcting now. Unless you see into the future interfering is interfering with the future and trying to create today's longevity restricting future life.
Click to expand...
Agreed:thumbup:
 
but what willv happen in say 10 years1\?
 
They also came in in ships ballasts tanks - they are HUGELY invasive along the US east coast.
 
i dont quite think people are grasping the damage they are doing and the rate at which they are reproducing
 
HenkHugo said:
They also came in in ships ballasts tanks
Click to expand...
that is the most likely reason. The aquarium story could be as well, but more unlikely.

Eggs got sucked in in the Indian ocean when water was used as ballast. The water got dumped out in the Caribbean later, releasing all those eggs. They do not have any natural predator in the Atlantic.

So yes, the problem was created by humans. And we need to sort it. Only option is to make it a sport. Cannot introduce a predator as that will lead to other problems.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom