Tag Archives: lionfish
Sea Hunt! Sub proposed for war on lionfish
Two marine enthusiasts are taking lionfish hunting to a whole new level, and depth as they are working on outfitting a submarine to wage war on one of Florida’s most-wanted invasive species. Scott Gonnello and Scott Cassell have begun plans to outfit a one-person Kittredge K-250 submarine into an underwater lionfish hunting machine and plan to bring the sub to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo for World Oceans Day on Wednesday, June 8. The sub was first welded together in the 1970s but was rotting away in a backyard in Cassell’s home state of California until he obtained it 1991. Cassell has since logged more than 15,000 hours under sea in it, he said. >click to read< 10:33
Fishing With A Glock 9mm Handgun Underwater? These Lionfish Don’t Stand A Goddamn Chance
The grey line that divides hunting and fishing just grew even murkier after these bros demonstrated how fun and easy it is to go fishing/hunting for Lionfish, an extremely invasive species in Florida, using a Glock 9mm pistol. Lionfish were never meant to make it to the Gulf of Mexico waters, and there’s some discrepancy on how the fish were first introduced but in general it’s suggested a few of the fish were dumped into Florida waters during a hurricane back in the 90s and that handful of fish multiplied like rabbits. And as noted in this video, a SINGLE Lionfish consumes 80% of a coral reef’s edible baitfish within 5 weeks of arriving on that reef. They’re a goddamn terrorizing nuisance! 2 video’s, Read the rest here 08:42
The seemingly ‘unstoppable’ lionfish flooding Florida’s coast and beyond
In 2011, when Rachel Bowman saw an abundance of large, pretty reddish fish while riding in a boat across the Florida coast, she didn’t think much of it. But a year later, once she got certified to dive, she speared the exotic fish and recognized an opportunity. Three years later, the fisherwoman, who was born in North Carolina and whose father was a shrimper, is selling this creature, called lionfish, to restaurants, local markets and 26 Whole Foods Markets across Florida. “I’m the first person to sell [lionfish] to Whole Foods and to set up that deal,” Bowman told CNBC. And in the Sunshine State, many other commercial fishing operations have begun to sell lionfish as well. The fish’s reproductive habits may bolster their successful invasion. Females may be able to spawn as often as every four days, which could result in the release of up to 2 million eggs a year from a single fish, according to USGS. Read the story here 08:05
Vero Beach couple escalates war on Lionfish with the Frapper Trap
Relationship experts say the secret to lasting love is to have something in common. For some couples, it’s a shared interest in travel, wine or maybe binge-watching the same drama series. But for one Vero Beach couple, the tie that truly bonds them is a devotion to lionfish. To be specific, Bob and Maria Hickerson share a passionate love for the removal of lionfish from Florida’s waters. “Lionfish are one fish that we actually want to fish to extinction,” Maria Hickerson said. Read the article here 08:59
Meet the best Florida Keys lionfish killers
“There are places in the Bahamas where, because of lionfish, there are no more parrotfish,” she said. “And we need parrotfish.” “Averaging three dives a day, four days a week, Adolphus, Rachel and their friends [including Chase Grimes, Jonny Schrier and Willie Dominak] brought in an estimated 7,500 fish in 2014, supplying local restaurants with their catch to help promote a commercial lionfish industry and to take pressure off of other species,” the FWC says. Read the rest here 19:28
Lionfish are threatening Florida’s economy
Invasive lionfish are a serious threat to Florida’s saltwater fishing industry — the second largest in the nation — and the thousands of jobs it supports, according to an economic commentary from Florida TaxWatch. Some 109,000 jobs tied to recreational fishing, and the more than 64,000 dependent on the commercial fishing industry, bolster the state economy, the report reveals. Read the rest here 08:30
Lionfish Causing Problems for the Panhandle
The FWC has been bringing awareness to some of Florida’s most invasive species with Invasive Species Awareness Week. One particular highlighted menace has been creeping into the Gulf since 1985. The lionfish is causing problems for some of Florida’s native species which is in turn causing problems for both recreational and commercial fishing, especially here in the Panhandle. Video, Read the rest here 09:42
Defending the Lionfish while slamming Artificial Reefs
The spear-it-on-sight mandate and eradication tournaments targeting Gulf of Mexico lionfish are well-meaning sleights of hand. Now the hobgoblin of anyone who bottom-fishes, lionfish have been portrayed as a serious threat to the Gulf’s recreational and commercial fishing businesses because they eat the fry of red snapper, grouper and triggerfish. more@nwfdailynews 17:35
The Worst Marine Invasion Ever – I could not believe what I found inside a lionfish.
“Do you know what this is?” James Morris looks at me, eyes twinkling, as he points to the guts of a dissected lionfish in his lab at the National Ocean Service’s Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research in Beaufort, N.C. 
Unwanted lionfish may help end ban
Lionfish now range up and down the East Coast and can be found throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Lionfish dangers: • They compete with native aquatic species for food and habitat • Eat young gamefish and commercially harvested species • Are venomous to humans, and stings cause conditions from a mild rash to death • Females can release up to 30,000 eggs per spawn and can spawn three times a month Read more here
