Invasive Lionfish Control

Lionfish have infested coastal waters of the Western Atlantic. Individuals, organizations, and researchers, are doing their part to combat the infestation. This invasive Lionfish story shows the efforts and research underway to control the situation.

[@tropickman]

Florida should introduce a $0.25/fish bounty.

[@yonniboy1]

I agree 100%, you'd have thousands of spear fishers out every weekend.

[@jesselee2529]

Not a good idea. There will be deviant people who will spear them to make money and at the same time breed them and release them back to the water so they can continue to make money.

[@nap8187]

Jesse Lee Also people even could start trying to breeding them.

[@veronicam2942]

Jesse Lee true, some people are assholes, unfortunately

[@konstellashon1364]

Selling yourself short. Restaurant wholesale has offered at least $5 per pound of lionfish. (One case where free market for sure actually helps environment)

[@WarrenLoCascio]

I wonder if keeping Lionfish is banned yet in this country , especially in the warmer water. That's how they found their way thousands of miles from their natural habitat! Lionfish grow quickly and some hobby fish keepers released them into the local waters thinking they would die! This has been going on for over twenty years. I kept lionfish when I had saltwater aquariums. They died in captivity. They are not agressive to humans unless they are approached. I have never been stung by mine but they are difficult to keep and will never reproduce in captivity. This is why piranha have been banned for years. Dont't blame the fish, blame the ignorant humans who, by the way, have a lot of money (lionfish are very expensive to buy for the home aquarium)

[@alejoeisabel]

Certainly more profitable to dive for lionfish than abalone. Both do not evade the diver.

[@LukieEl]

Instead of using cod or haddock for fish fingers and other batterred fish can they not use lion fish and let Cod and haddock to grow again? Lionfish is a white flesh fish? which i believe it has meaty texture?

[@antizionist3125]

why go 20-30 miles? Anything closer to shore?

[@rrieps4587]

Very informative. Unfortunately, spearfishing will not eradicate lionfish because they learn quickly to live during the daytime at depths that divers do not frequent. Trying to teach fish to catch them also fails because what actually happens is that fish learn to follow divers with spears because they know they will get fed. I have seen exactly one uninjured lionfish caught by a grouper. It was one that I scared out of a hole when there was a grouper standing by waiting to be fed. The lionfish mistakenly ran right into the groupers mouth. In some areas, the larger fish will single the diver who has a pole spear out ot a group, and lead him/her to a lionfish and point like a bird dog. Lionfish are very good to eat, and there is a ready market for them. In Cozumel, for example, all a restaurant has to do to gather a crowd is to put up a sign saying lionfish are on the menu and they will draw a crowd. However, the only way to catch them efficiently enough to appease the demand and to approximate extinction by over-fishing is to drag a net. There, the by-catch and damage to natural reefs would be disastrous. Sorry to be so negative, but I have been watching these things for 10 years in the Caribbean as a sport diver. The only thing I can think of that might work would be some sort of targeted male sterilization program. But I don't have any suggestions on how that might be accomplished..

[@ThinkItSinkItReefIt]

Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts

[@johnweir3168]

I don't know if anyone has researched a couple of other possible approaches to population control of lionfish, but I am thinking that figuring out how to get fish and birds interested in eating the lionfish eggs and larvae would eliminate many lionfish before they have a chance to do damage. The other thought is since we know they communicate through sounds that they make, a sonic lure may be created to attract lionfish in an area to a specific spot where they can be either trapped or harvested. I too have seen nurse sharks point lionfish. Though they can be annoying, it appears to be a partnership in hunting lionfish they enjoy. Divers are trying to change the behavior of native fish to deal with the invader and that has been accomplished. The hunting has changed the behavior of the lionfish as well.

[@kaisermuto]

In Japan lion fish is high class fish. It has poison on the fin only. When fin is cut, no poison any more. Fried lionfish is nice taste. But it must be fresh. Sashimi, fry, grilled, any cooking OK.

[@ThinkItSinkItReefIt]

Thanks for the comment

[@IIIRotor]

just start a roomer that those spikes are 100 time more potent than rhino Horn.... thank me later...

[@funape742]

Bwahahahaaa yup sounds like a good an hahaha

[@marshas.4222]

@@funape742 you are so right

[@garynorden1117]

Nothing like a good poak

[@user-ou5jm4mo4c]

2057:there's only two lionfish left in the world

[@great-grandmakirk8828]

I always thought that Lionfish were bigger but I’m surprised at how small they really are, no matter what, they need to be gotten rid of before they eat everything around them.

[@williamlouie569]

Spearing them is a drop in the bucket. You can got find some natural processes to control them.

[@koochekoo1309]

Would it be wrong to just kill the lion fish and leave the carcass for other fish to feed on, just curious?

[@Darthbelal]

I just wish those lionfish could be harvested on a MASSIVE industrial scale......

[@ThinkItSinkItReefIt]

groups are working on methods including traps that they hope to be effective

[@wiggyb854]

Wow, didn’t think it was that bad, here in Australia which is supposed to be their natural habitat their not that prolific. Maybe your biologist should come here to the Great Barrier Reef to see what is different. In a way it’s good that they are that easy to spear imagine if they were a flighty fish. Best of luck getting rid of them. I’d love to come over and help you out.

[@ThinkItSinkItReefIt]

Yes it is very interesting that in their natural habitat they seem to be kept in check regarding their population sizes.

[@loveunderlaw]

UNDERWATER VACUUMS ARE THE BEST WAY TO CATCH THESE FISH 🐠 😁👍

[@a.wilson1979]

I agree. There should be a cruzade with industrial methods of suction the lion fish by divers with large hoses into net cages and after send them to the shore to be recycled as animal food or manure.

[@dredrotten]

Some Australians in the north eat them because they are one of the best fish you can eat, Stonefish are nice to eat as well. It seems that the ugliest and most dangerous fish taste the best!

[@ThinkItSinkItReefIt]

we are hoping there tasty helps keep them in control over this way

[@gkess7106]

Drag a net?

[@funape742]

How do they avoid catching other species alongside the lionfish?

[@ThinkItSinkItReefIt]

Most of the lionfish tend to be around underwater structure (i.e. reef structures and so for). Having said that regional shrimper who drag nets for shrimp harvesting report catching Lionfish in their nets occasionally.

[@fp5940]

They are delicious!

[@1903ibo]

just get Walmart and Costco buy lionfish they all be disappear

[@marqueswilsonn]

Wasting time. You need a compressor on the boat, and a meat grinder over the side.

[@JayJay-er1sq]

Leave em dead on sea floor. Some fish will learn to eat it.

[@nerxboy]

its really weird how you call yourself an invasive species specialist, but grossed out by dissecting the fish lol

[@KMacFNP]

Yup! And the way he was holding the fish, then described its stomach content as "gnarly" made me doubt if he's really a specialist. 😆😆

[@jessstark2258]

it is gonna take every diver working hard to control these rascals - here is my contribution to the effort in Cayman - kzbin.info/www/bejne/j32klpiPrMuWopY - feeding snapper and kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJCllaeFe86So8k - Feeding Moray

[@MrLookitspam]

I hope all remember they are dangerous to people

[@KingTriton1837]

It ain't that hard to argue their "beauty" or lack thereof-- those fish are extremely hideous.

[@ThinkItSinkItReefIt]

A popular aquarium fish, the likely reason they have invaded these non-native waters

[@aha5888]

Are aliens invading

[@MrBilioner]

here on 24k likes before this gets bombarded from youtube algorithm

[@ThinkItSinkItReefIt]

We are hopeful to spread the message as much as possible

[@rafanyvaladao9312]

Parabéns

[@crappymccrappen4897]

Excessive cruelty against a poor fish that was just looking for better life. It brought so much diversity and cultural enrichment to the privileged reef dwellers. Lionfish lives matter !

[@user-ou5jm4mo4c]

Bruuuuu😒 your not understanding the situation

[@crappymccrappen4897]

@@user-ou5jm4mo4c If only the North American natives understood the situation 500 years ago we won't be having the problems we have today. I'd say the brittish settlers we at least as harmful to the environment as the lionfish. After all they did kill 60 million buffalo and eat 5 billion passenger pigeons.

[@crappymccrappen4897]

@@user-ou5jm4mo4c Also what really amazes me is that you dont understand sarcasm. LIONFISH LIVES MATTER!

[@johnsweeney6072]

It would be extremely hard to sex them as they all smell like fish 😎

[@boatmanbermuda7255]

i bet you had worse

[@johnsweeney6072]

boatman Bermuda haha all beautiful at the time. 😂🇦🇺