How Lionfish Invaded The Caribbean. Can We Spear And Eat Enough Of Them? | True Cost

Lionfish may be beautiful, but they are eating their way through ecosystems across the Caribbean, where they have few predators. In Colombia, spearfishing is starting the fightback - and local restaurants are hoping that more people will start to eat these venomous creatures.
WATCH MORE TRUE COST VIDEOS:
The Secret Terror Inside American Prisons | True Cost | Business Insider
• The Secret Terror Insi...
The True Cost Of Ukraine's Dam Disaster | True Cost | Insider Business
• The True Cost Of Ukrai...
Grass Is The Most Wasteful Crop In The US. Should We Ban It? | True Cost | Insider Business
• Grass Is The Most Wast...
0:00 - Introduction
1:05 - Meet The Divers Spearing Lionfish In Colombia
3:24 - Where Lionfish Came From
5:17 - Ways The Caribbean Is Fighting Back
6:12 - How Fishermen Are Hurting
7:42 - Lionfish On The Menu
9:26 - Divers Eat Their Catch Of The Day
11:25 - Credits
------------------------------------------------------
#lionfish #truecost #businessinsider
Business Insider tells you all you need to know about business, finance, tech, retail, and more.
Visit our homepage for the top stories of the day: www.businessinsider.com
Business Insider on Facebook: / businessinsider Business Insider on Instagram: / insiderbusiness Business Insider on Twitter: / businessinsider
Business Insider on Snapchat: / 5319643143
Business Insider on TikTok: / businessinsider
How Lionfish Invaded The Caribbean. Can We Spear And Eat Enough Of Them? | True Cost

[@yvelf]

in ceviche, it tastes amazing! it's really good and plentiful! here in Puerto Rico, we try to catch as many as possible. its really good meat! and yes, it does damage everything in its path. and loads of people get stung by it every year and extremely painful

[@Intranetusa]

Isn't it more dangerous to eat raw fish from warmer waters (such as the Caribbean) because of the higher prevalence of parasites, bacteria, and toxins (eg. ciguatoxin and maitotoxin)?

[@yvelf]

@@Intranetusa parasites no, bacteria no, toxins no...ciguatera (ciguatoxin) is limited to certain fish, not all fish in Caribbean waters. for example, barracuda is known to be one of the worst for ciguatera.

[@Intranetusa]

@@yvelf Why don't they have parasites? Warmer waters and slower swimming fish usually increase the chances for parasite infection.

[@brownseed777]

​@Intranetusa they are vaccinated

[@rogerogrant]

@@Intranetusa Fish living in cold environments are parasitized too. It’s gross, but if you eat a raw fish that has, say, roundworms in its flesh, you’re just eating some roundworm. You won’t be hurt by it or infected, as their reproduction occurs in the fish’s digestive tract. The only fish you want to avoid eating raw are freshwater fish. Many are intermediate hosts for trematodes (flukes) whose larvae CAN infect you if you eat them.

[@dcptiv]

I wonder if the people who released them into the wild think "yeah, that was me. I did that" when they see things like this.

[@joestuff8]

Probably not. This is the same as those who litter.. Zero accountability, viewed as "not their problem."

[@samsonsoturian6013]

Who said humans were involved. Animals go where they want

[@juandenz2008]

@@samsonsoturian6013 Watch the video !

[@joestuff8]

@samsonsoturian6013 don't let other believe you're this stupid/naive..

[@drmantis5598]

10 females is really specific, what do you think? a breeder dumping old stock for more room in his tanks?. aquarium enthusiast, moving and can't bring all his fish?

[@nata6025]

10:10 "it was going badly for this guy, so badly, in fact he's turning into ceviche" i'm dead 🤣🤣

[@MamatMahdly]

yeah man, that's hilarious 🤣

[@CardSharkPNW]

So is the lionfish. 😂

[@joefer5360]

Peak morbid humor.

[@blessedbeauty2293]

- Ik that was hilarious 😂

[@thefineartsteacher]

We hunted these during 3 dives per day in Belize and caught 15-35 per day. They were delicious, flaky, light flavored fish that were amazing breaded and deep fried. Guilt free hunting!

[@ShhhHhhhz]

do they contain alot of bones? would be awesome if its like dory or cod

[@mabeSc]

Lionfish also have one of the lowest concentrations of mercury of all fish - they are actually quite healthy! Since they grow so fast they do not have time to build up mercury in their systems (or off-flavours). Around 100x less mercury than King Mackerel and 4x less than Tuna.

[@thefineartsteacher]

@@ShhhHhhhz I’m honestly not sure, we had someone preparing the meals for us.

[@BusinessInsider]

Thanks for sharing!

[@kairosragasa]

"Why you Killing the fish!!" Because the Fish killing Everything else

[@BoomBoomBoom..]

Exactly how to deal with an invasive species..

[@coleyboy1921]

This is what tourism should be all about! Helping a good cause and finding it all while having fun and gaining amazing memories!

[@MightyElo]

I have to agree. I’m hoping to go scuba diving license. Next time I go to the Caribbean I’ll see if I can help out in anyway.

[@STONERCREEK1]

Restaurants should just filet it and call it something else. 85% of tourists couldn't tell the difference between fish.

[@dannyboy900102]

But then they'd be liable for lawsuits. No restaurant would take the risk

[@ConstantChaos1]

Eatung invasives is a great way to have a dual impact, you are removing the invasive but also saving the production of your calories

[@jermymac8129]

Best fish I have eaten

[@Andrej_Timo]

Business Insider/ Short in a Nutshell/ ARTE are by far the best Documentary on the entire planet.

[@BusinessInsider]

Thanks for watching!

[@alenemarie1726]

I am always so impressed by business insiders videos. They are so informative and well done and show such a wide range of topics I’d never know about. Also this is a phenomenal way to get rid of an invasive species!

[@jake9854]

but girls think business insiders' video r boring n nerdy tho, also they think its cruel to kill such an innocent fish

[@kellym9190]

⁠@@jake9854I find their content interesting and can see the merit in hunting invasive species to protect our own, no need for your sexism.

[@user-rz9ve2it1s]

BI thinks we wouldn’t notice how well the honking synced up at 11:27

[@Theartofhappytravels]

I’ve spent a lot of time in this part of Colombia. Happy to see it being the main focus of this news report.

[@connorvision4758]

About a year ago I went on a couple dives in Belize where the dive master was spearing lion fish and then feeding them to some pretty massive reef sharks. It was an interesting experience😂

[@andresmoves]

El Tayrona is one of those places that should go on every backpacking list, the heart of the world!

[@jstewlly4747]

What sucks even if restaurants start selling Lionfish they will be expensive like a delicacy cause you have to dive to retrieve them so yeah hard situation blame pet owners stupid choices

[@antonhelsgaun]

Being expensive means there will be more people fishing for them as the population grows, though

[@jstewlly4747]

@@antonhelsgaun who's wants to eat poison fish think about how gullible people are nowadays but you right if everyone had a taste palet but they dont

[@tl1326]

@@jstewlly4747counter-point: puffer fish.

[@jstewlly4747]

@@tl1326 counter point........I live in Americano one eats puffer.....even though I would love too

[@bonitabromeliads]

@@jstewlly4747 Lionfish It's not a poison fish, it's a venomous fish. Learn the difference. People have eaten octopus for thousands of years and it's also venomous.

[@newtonferrers1]

Beautifully tasty fish, on my several trips to Jamaica I'm pleased to say the population there appears to be reducing, at least off the coast of Montego Bay, i saw almost none last summer and i hope see even fewer this summer.

[@LuifferPachecogouriyu]

Mi mamá la mas bella la amó Claribel GOURIYU ❤

[@melmicsim]

There was a time when they were a gem to have in a tropical tank set up. They're quite beautiful.

[@krlost4405]

And it is because of that hobby that this started...

[@lh-kc8ck]

There used to be so many in jamaica now you can hardly get it to purchase. They are more expensive than other fish and also better tasting than most

[@nahor88]

That's the problem with trying to commercialize it. Rather than keeping it innocent and ecologically friendly, they'll try to milk extra money calling it "exotic", when in reality they should be pricing it the same as any other fish.

[@Kaimax61]

@@nahor88 pricing it the same? Did you forget it's hard to catch it in the first place? what's the incentives for the spear divers then besides just for good eco reasons?

[@hugoaguilera7110]

Felicitaciones muy buen video

[@DaveVargas90012]

Con limonsito esta bien...yeh!

[@quaktoons331]

Lionfish eating challenge. You guys ate tide pods, you can eat these.

[@faceoctopus4571]

I heard in a different video that lion fish venom is completely safe if cooked.

[@KhanMann66]

Lots of people eat lion fish and turn out fine. It’s only bad if you get pricked by the spines.

[@seculartemplar5407]

@quaktoons331 Most underrated comment. Input more likes please.

[@KingSalami407]

I ate some in the Bahamas and agree with the comments. Delicious

[@dalerich7334]

Caribbean Lion Fish are an aphrodisiac, once enough people realize this, problem solved!

[@pilkoso]

And also it cures curses, bad juju and erectile disfunction

[@vsznry]

If the pharmas come up with a way to treat poising at the beach & render the danger minimal, more people would fish it.

[@samsonsoturian6013]

Physically impossible. You can't vaccinate for venom.

[@cristianfamigliuolo]

Already hit! You have no idea how much it hurts!! 😂😂

[@brandonskalsky5484]

It tastes amazing!

[@cristianchan5402]

The meat is sweet... Love it!!

[@uncreative5766]

I saw those other videos from a couple of years ago about how lionfish invaded the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. Hearing how they've taken over South America is a gut punch. As a Californian, what does the lionfish taste like? I know people use it as ceviche, but I love fish and chips, so maybe it'd be a good fish for battering and frying.

[@carlsoll]

0:47 Lol- *Surface Level* Question, no pun intended. ‘Why you killing the Fish?!’

[@bengtianyap4689]

Unmanned underwater vehicles could be used in place of divers to cull or fish them.

[@sparklawns3433]

The first time I learned about lionfish was when I watched deuce biggalow male jiggalow...

[@nahor88]

Ardeth Bay was a douche in that movie, lol. "Uh you don't wanna do that..." 🧔

[@petercottantail7850]

id go diving in south Florida near miami and you'd see them, here and there. that was almost a decade ago. i remember we would spear the ones we saw. they are the tastiest fish ive ever eaten 😋 if only predators knew how good they taste and how to avoid the venom

[@AirLancer]

Comments section revealing people who don't know the difference between poison and venom.

[@suleymanhafizoglu6019]

As I read from news this Lionfish with Balloonfish moved into mediterranean sea either moving from suez canal or hiding into cargo ships

[@XFKMO]

I LOve that !

[@Samtheblackrose]

You had me at tastes like shrimp or sea bass. Someone should find a way to import them to the states, I would buy it in a second if I saw it at my local kroger 😅

[@CptShiba]

We dont need to import them, theyre tearing up florida too

[@MrCristianposso]

Just go to florida, they are even more numerous there.

[@interwebzful]

ok this is definitely one application of killer robot AI that i'd get behind: little spearfishing submarine devices with computational vision models trained on only lionfish. they're so distinctive i bet the probability of it killing other species is very low. they'd just troll around areas, coming up for solar charging every few hours. who wants in on this startup i'm putting dibs on right now? 🙂

[@muratbasc8302]

I'm from Turkey, lionfish is invading east of Mediterranean Sea also. It's good to see the awareness to this species' invasion all around the world. Happy hunting fellas!

[@hmx8694]

I watched a video once about divers training the local sharks to target and eat lionfish. I wonder how that's going?

[@Kiko_21bro]

what can we do to help spread awareness? Can we donate?

[@Amme523]

I dont remember where but i once heard of people fighting invasive species by introducing some captive raised ones back to the wild population. But they had alterned the DNA of the captive bred ones to make it so they wouldn't be able to live as long. Which helped curve the species poulation a bit.

[@Mustlovebooks15]

They are doing this with mosquitoes in certain areas.

[@Amme523]

@@Mustlovebooks15 OHHH thank you I think it was mosquitoes!!

[@planefan082]

Sabotaging the gene pool. Not the worst idea

[@DiceKrispy]

I wonder if Deuce Bigelow helped popularize the fish

[@mrtn5882]

Please help me! What is the dish called that they are preparing around 8:36? I can’t understand its name. :)

[@lorenax17]

I believe it’s a dish that she created herself, she named it “Save the Sea” (Salvar el mar in Spanish) so when someone orders it they can feel even more fulfilled by eating a delicious dish and knowing the story behind it of saving the sea by eating that fish :)

[@critterjon4061]

It’s just your standard ceviche recipe but with lionfish

[@LordAsturgis]

If you’ve never stepped on one by accident (they sometimes bury in the sand, it happened to me in Malaysia), then count yourself lucky. It feels like getting shot through the foot and all the bone shards travel up your leg.

[@thernsa]

Nope

[@LordAsturgis]

@@thernsa Huh?

[@thernsa]

You’ve got the wrong species of fish

[@LordAsturgis]

@@thernsa No, I don’t. The gall of some people 😂

[@critterjon4061]

@@LordAsturgisthat was a sting ray

[@bendalton5221]

It is as with most things... .we, people, caused the problem. We rarely want to blame ourselves, and point the finger at something else (such as I wouldn't be fat if the food was better or the sodas weren't so unhealthy) People kept things like lion fish and pythons as pets. Decided they did not want them anymore. Turned them loose rather than just killing them and disposing of the remains. Perfect environments for the released animals around Florida. Life finds a way, the animals breed. Replace existing populations. Years later, people are shocked that something like this could happen. We have to be, at the same time, the smartest and the stupidest life form that has ever existed on this planet, all wrapped up into one

[@JustDoinFlorida]

Lionfish is truly one of the tastiest fish in the world, even compared to all the great fish species Florida has in its waters. Highly recommended tasting it if you see it on a menu.

[@Nycist]

These are tasty! Can’t get enough!

[@yanvysotskiq]

WOW!! amazing

[@shayneguzman]

Lionfish is delicious ❤

[@daniellee3831]

How much to join

[@claudekim7876]

People in usa use glocks to hunt huge amounts as it uses to physical energy like using the spear

[@nickpiovesan4361]

Someone just needs to develop a robot lionfish catcher, get on it AI!

[@MrJoelkamins]

I am pro diver and divemaster. The best lionfish are below 160ft... Thats where the big ones are...

[@danielsloane9357]

It tastes nice, is abundant and is encouraged to be caught and this is the one fish so many people are like nahh well let that one stay in the water…it doesn’t make sense

[@samsonsoturian6013]

You're going to have to find a more efficient method than spearing if this is going to be popular

[@hunterhq295]

Wouldn't moray eels, nurse sharks or barracuda and groupers help eat them?

[@juasjesji]

Nope, they don't have any natural predators particularly in this zone of the Caribbean sea.

[@flashflame4952]

There is some organization that are catching these fish and teaching sharks to eat them. Hopefully that's working.

[@somethingawesome1462]

A lot of dive shops have hunting trips. I like to do 1 or 2 for fun, then we donate the fish to a restaurant afterwards

[@rcarioca]

Those darned lion fish

[@hugoaguilera7110]

Pri pri holaa que loco todo 😮😮😮😮😮

[@lukasweise6759]

It would have been nice to explain how the lion fish can be such a problem when it's not in the Indian/Pacific ocean. One possible reason is overfishing of its predators in the Caribbean.

[@mightyeagle5593]

All or them getting tracked from 10 females is increadibly scary. They are so destructive

[@LeeDee5]

I always wondered if they taste good

[@bonitabromeliads]

really good. Almost as good as monk fish

[@Mozzeo]

11 pm now im hungry

[@yonallb]

I would love to go on a lion fish dive.

[@ianpatrick23]

Those lionfish dishes look delicious

[@bonitabromeliads]

It wouldn't be hard to build hunter killer robots that used AI to identify and exterminate lion fish. Could probably wipe them out in a few years with a couple hundred solar powered robots working around the clock, floating on the surface to recharge in the day and killing lion fish by night. A bit more complex but doable would be having the harvest the lion fish, spine them and bring the to shore as a harvest. They cost billions in damage, a project like this would only be a few million.

[@lionfishscuba]

That’s meeeee

[@skendler]

On point screen name. Are you a dive master? If so, these comments are a great place to advertise your services. As a recreational diver, I’d love to learn to spearfish and help get rid of a (tasty) invasive species.

[@lionfishscuba]

Im a dive instructor

[@Jessiejam-44]

Lets Thank the People in Miami for this!!!! when hurricane Andrew came through South Florida and hit all those coastal homes with all those amazing fish tanks… because in there were these invasive species from other countries that escaped. Enough of them obviously made it into the bay and then took over.

[@gothicgolem2947]

tbf if it was a Hurricane and not just the mrealsing thme not sure its their fault

[@Jessiejam-44]

@@gothicgolem2947 releasing them just because. Yep that makes Perfect sense…. I walked through the homes with 100 + gallon tanks, tanks that were Broken… So where did the Fish Go…… Your First Two guesses don’t Count…. GO!!! 1)

[@gothicgolem2947]

@@Jessiejam-44 they did not release them if the tanks broke…. They got destroyed and the fish swept to sea. Thats not the owners fault

[@KyleSterling32]

Lionfish is great. I had it in Montserrat 🇲🇸

[@lionfishscuba]

❤

[@superresistant8041]

Now I'm hungry

[@Greenfield-yf1wh]

It is delicacy in Asia. Nobody eats the fish in quantity in America. That's the problem.

[@vinkorupanovic3067]

i can design an underwater drone that hunts only this fish

[@ARebuh]

Do it

[@rileymash9664]

I really appreciate the dedication in each video you post. Anyway, Long term investor's know that the market and economy will recover eventually, and investors should be positioned for such a rebound, I gained $180k from bitcoin in 2023, before the market crash and now I am buying again, adding more at a time. Having a good financial advisor like Ethan Jackson, will add to your success in the crypto market.

[@walterwhite55469]

I'm shocked that you just mentioned and recommended Ethan Jackson. I thought I was the only one trading with him.

[@belicindrex7576]

You trade with Ethan Jackson too? Wow that man has been a blessing to me and my family

[@arturtavares6805]

Ethan Jackson gave me the autonomy I needed, to learn at my own pace and ask questions when I need to , he’s so accommodating.

[@sethhenriquez708]

I’m surprised that Ethan’s name is being mentioned here. I stumbled upon one of his clients testimony on CNBC news last week.

[@joannesammon2374]

I'm new here and really want to know some important things about him, How do I reach him please?

[@Rokeen-Zeboss]

I grow up in st. Vincent and the government has been buying them at the premium to get rid of them

[@HaHaBIah]

The story of the apex predator: Humans

[@chelchelchel2749]

Schmidt should’ve just come here for his lion fish

[@flaminghailstorm9149]

Can humans build spear/harpoon fishing robots for this? Licensed, regulated and monitored so that the technology doesn't get abused. Expensive, sure... But it might be worth it if it costs less than diving for the catch.

[@PeanutButter-19]

At least they aren't ugly.

[@davidbach3741]

Is it not possible to experiment attracting them with sound waves or light to get them in one area?

[@DONDONDON865]

I would love to do that and help the nature with it ! 😢

[@bryanmcdonald4351]

Im about to blow your mind…. You don’t have to eat them. You can just throw them in the trash. I know. Your mind is blown. You’re welcome

[@fallensnow8859]

Is it possible to introduce predators?

[@FayeVert]

No, because you'd end up with those predators becoming the next invasive species. They're trying to teach the native predators to eat them by feeding them some of the ones they've speared

[@drb996]

One of the best tasting fish out there ❤

[@DylanDkoh]

Lionfish was an issue for as long as I heard

[@UncleForHire]

Yoo could we create a bio weapon for it, like the c-rona but for lionfish specifically

[@KamiInValhalla]

How about the US strengthen its invasive species laws.

[@Chris-kf3xd]

Make cat and dog food out of them

[@lordnevaplor]

Lionfish?? DEEPWOKEN?!?!?!

[@kohort1]

They need to make this a tourism activity

[@FayeVert]

They....already did? They show it at like a minute unto the video

[@lesliem2340]

Its kinda giving shark culling vibes and what does that mean you are killing something that does the same as any other fish does

[@varminttank]

Yea but they sure do look cool in a salt water tank

[@justayoutuber1906]

A good question to address is how are they managed in the Indian Ocean? What is different there?

[@Ozraptor4]

Larger predatory fish which co-evolved with lionfish in the Indo-Pacific know how to eat them without killing themselves (morays will swallow them head first then carefully regurgitate the venom spines). Lionfish look and behave so completely differently from native Caribbean fish that the local predators don't know how to deal with them.

[@Rose_Butterfly98]

Moray eels, sharks immune to the venom, other Scorpion fish species eat their lion fish relatives as well. Tiger groupers, blue spotted cornet fish, there are probably others, there are a lot of things that eat them in southeast Asia, to the point that they're not that common. They're native to our southern shore which is a tourist attraction, yet very few people ever see them.

[@dreammaker9642]

Put simply in their natural environment they fit in the eco system but where they don’t belong they are overpowered an outcompete everything until there is nothing less. Lion fish are a prime example of a disastrous invasive species because if their insanely fast rate of reproduction

[@AnshuKumar-vr4cv]

8:39 in which language was she talking can anyone tell 😅

[@omarjavierq]

That's Spanish, here in Colombia people living in the Coast have that unique accent.

[@AnshuKumar-vr4cv]

@@omarjavierq thanks mate😊

[@shyamalkumar2231]

Why can't we make a water-borne drone with facial recognition, which can be able to hunt all these invasive species??

[@gkbhai8962]

in a decade AI sea robots could deal with them.

[@lightningyonko7490]

What if the lion fish eat everything. Then they die because they have no food. Then someone reintroduces all the right fish again