So does this mean they may be getting cheaper in the near distant future!??!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38632799/ns/us_news-environment/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38632799/ns/us_news-environment/
Eat Lionfish!
- Thread starter mastocker
- Start date
Luiz Rocha
Salty Dog
For the aquarium trade? Not really, it is much more expensive to catch and keep a fish alive than it is to shoot it with a spear. So, if people start catching them and selling for the aquarium trade the market flood will make it no longer profitable to catch them in the first place.
But yeah, they are a real problem in the Caribbean. Too bad I don't think fishing them will do anything to their numbers.
Now, keeping with the spirit of the "responsible reef keeping" forum, I would say that companies are wasting time not catching these guys. Just think about it, lionfish labeled "Caribbean" sound very environmentally friendly
But yeah, they are a real problem in the Caribbean. Too bad I don't think fishing them will do anything to their numbers.
Now, keeping with the spirit of the "responsible reef keeping" forum, I would say that companies are wasting time not catching these guys. Just think about it, lionfish labeled "Caribbean" sound very environmentally friendly
A collector for public aquariums offered a group of lionfish from the Florida Keys a few weeks ago. His price was much less than what he charges for native scorpionfish species. In fact, although he gets a premium price for his fish because he handles them very well, his lionfish price was in line with the wholesale price of lions coming from Africa....$12 - $20. They had 35 of them.
I've been waiting to see other commercial collectors begin offering them, but that either hasn't happened yet, or they aren't being marketed as such (or I just missed it!). So far, the price of lionfish has remained stable, so no flood in the market yet. I expect that with the projected consumption rate I've seen of small prey on reefs where lionfish move in, we can however, expect that the price of other Caribbean fish will rise (sigh).
Jay
I've been waiting to see other commercial collectors begin offering them, but that either hasn't happened yet, or they aren't being marketed as such (or I just missed it!). So far, the price of lionfish has remained stable, so no flood in the market yet. I expect that with the projected consumption rate I've seen of small prey on reefs where lionfish move in, we can however, expect that the price of other Caribbean fish will rise (sigh).
Jay
jjsan,
Lionfish are venomous, not poisonous.
Poisonous: creates a problem for humans through ingestion or contact (think eating poisonous mushrooms or touching poison ivy). You can eat fried lionfish with impunity, it apparently even tastes like chicken(grin). You can also safely touch a lionfish, as long as you don't get injected by their venomous spines.
Venomous: creates a problem for humans through physical injection of a venom; lionfish, rattlesnakes, black widow spiders, etc.
Sorry, we just see this all the time in newspaper reports, etc. - but the terms are just not equal.
Jay
Lionfish are venomous, not poisonous.
Poisonous: creates a problem for humans through ingestion or contact (think eating poisonous mushrooms or touching poison ivy). You can eat fried lionfish with impunity, it apparently even tastes like chicken(grin). You can also safely touch a lionfish, as long as you don't get injected by their venomous spines.
Venomous: creates a problem for humans through physical injection of a venom; lionfish, rattlesnakes, black widow spiders, etc.
Sorry, we just see this all the time in newspaper reports, etc. - but the terms are just not equal.
Jay
phuzzykins
New member
From this article: http://divers.neaq.org/2010/06/spring-collecting-trip-8-eating.html
"Once their spines are properly removed, the lionfish are completely safe to eat. There's no risk at all. "
"It really was that good, which is great news—lionfish are one fish species that we'd actually like to overfish, so an ideal situation would be that people start wanting to eat lionfish so much that fishermen begin to actively target them. Again, I can testify that they're actually really good, so next time you're at a seafood restaurant, ask them if they have any lionfish dishes. And if they don't, act kind of surprised and annoyed."
"Once their spines are properly removed, the lionfish are completely safe to eat. There's no risk at all. "
"It really was that good, which is great news—lionfish are one fish species that we'd actually like to overfish, so an ideal situation would be that people start wanting to eat lionfish so much that fishermen begin to actively target them. Again, I can testify that they're actually really good, so next time you're at a seafood restaurant, ask them if they have any lionfish dishes. And if they don't, act kind of surprised and annoyed."
cortez marine
In Memoriam
If it were really true that the fish collectors numbers are enough to seriously imperil tropical fish populations, why are fish collectors not taken seriously as a remedy for controling lionfish?
The argument against fish collectors is used selectively.
They are wiping out the reefs or not significant enough to make a dent in them.
"
Lions are not the only tropical fish that produces millions of eggs. The list is huge!
Good habitat enables good population recovery. Habitat is the key.
Now, the bad news;
They are here to stay.
In the Philippine provinces of Pangasinan and Zambales, lions are taken by the thousands and thousands every year and have been for decades.
And...the numbers just keep coming!
One variable...The aquarium trade in the Philippines disdains the to collect the xl breeders. I mean they would take up so much frieght!
This may keep the numbers coming and the population viable.
The Atlantic people want to take the big ones to eat . Will that really cut down the numbers or will they continue to grow exponentially as our remedy plods on arithmatically. [ but looks good on TV]
Steve
The argument against fish collectors is used selectively.
They are wiping out the reefs or not significant enough to make a dent in them.
"
Lions are not the only tropical fish that produces millions of eggs. The list is huge!
Good habitat enables good population recovery. Habitat is the key.
Now, the bad news;
They are here to stay.
In the Philippine provinces of Pangasinan and Zambales, lions are taken by the thousands and thousands every year and have been for decades.
And...the numbers just keep coming!
One variable...The aquarium trade in the Philippines disdains the to collect the xl breeders. I mean they would take up so much frieght!
This may keep the numbers coming and the population viable.
The Atlantic people want to take the big ones to eat . Will that really cut down the numbers or will they continue to grow exponentially as our remedy plods on arithmatically. [ but looks good on TV]
Steve
cortez marine
In Memoriam
Funders fall for anything and tend to be much more ignorant then you might think,
Reality flumuxes them but a well tuned pitch and write-up....they take it as gospel.
Most of them do not relize that the worth of a plan is in the implementation. the real world results and productivity of the program.
In lieu of the ability to see, involve and evaluate for themselves, they rely on the written reports of the ones milking them for the money!
Never mind that a professional squad of 50 Philippine cyanide fishers could not eradicate the lions....the pitch would probably find funding and favor.
Later, upon relizing the program didn't work, it would be hidden or ignored to forget the waste of money.
But I miss the point. Tax write offs have become the primary for environmental giving these days.
Steve
Reality flumuxes them but a well tuned pitch and write-up....they take it as gospel.
Most of them do not relize that the worth of a plan is in the implementation. the real world results and productivity of the program.
In lieu of the ability to see, involve and evaluate for themselves, they rely on the written reports of the ones milking them for the money!
Never mind that a professional squad of 50 Philippine cyanide fishers could not eradicate the lions....the pitch would probably find funding and favor.
Later, upon relizing the program didn't work, it would be hidden or ignored to forget the waste of money.
But I miss the point. Tax write offs have become the primary for environmental giving these days.
Steve
Agu
Premium Member
If you'rea diver enter the Lionfish Derby to support US reef health.
Agu
Premium Member
keywestcoralboy
Executive water changer
I hate Lion Fish.. I killem all the time... I have never eaten one but I feel moraly obligated to killem
Troyman, the presence of Lionfish in the Caribbean and West Atlantic resulted from the fairly recent introduction of this destructive non-native species, a predator against which native fishes have little or no protection. Their presence has been catastrophic in some areas, and their numbers are growing at an alarming rate. Lionfish represent an ecological catastrophe with the potential to destroy most Caribbean and Floridian coral reef fishes. If possible, they should be exterminated.
They are like termites. Maybe someday your house will collapse on your head.
They are like termites. Maybe someday your house will collapse on your head.
Chris27
New member
Other examples are the snakehead on the east coast, the brown tree snake in Guam, and Piranha in FW ponds everywhere. When a species not native to the area is introduced into the ecosystem, there are always dire consequences. The Lion is so very good at what it does, and without a natural predator, it will continue to eat and breed.
FWIW Keywestcoralboy, I appreciate the effort, while a small step, it's one that is nothing but beneficial. I've always enjoyed the Key's, whether it's fishing, diving or drinking, It's a great place to go and I'm against anything that hurts the natural beauty the area has to offer. Figure out how to cool the place off from May to Oct and I would visit more though.....
FWIW Keywestcoralboy, I appreciate the effort, while a small step, it's one that is nothing but beneficial. I've always enjoyed the Key's, whether it's fishing, diving or drinking, It's a great place to go and I'm against anything that hurts the natural beauty the area has to offer. Figure out how to cool the place off from May to Oct and I would visit more though.....
psykobowler
New member
I would eat them in a heartbeat especially if I can get them fresh for free or little money. Chop off the spines, remove the gills, season with salt and fry crispy in vegetable oil. Add some rice in a plate and a few spoons of mango salsa and maybe pepsi on the side. This thread is making me hungry.
hllywd
Premier World Traveler
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The problem with eradicating them is the areas where they live. They range from a few feet down to a couple thousand feet, not much hope of catching up to them there. Like ackee said, the population is exploding due to the plentiful reef fish you can see in the video. Last spring was the last time I was diving, and really the only thing most of us were concerned with was catching lobster. What I've been seeing from Dixie is that they are now encouraging everyone to get on board with killing lionfish. I happen to dive with this company in Deerfield Beach, the reefs they are showing are a 10 - 15 minute ride from shore near the Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Hillsboro Beach area. From the looks of the video not more than 40' - 60'.
The problem with eradicating them is the areas where they live. They range from a few feet down to a couple thousand feet, not much hope of catching up to them there. Like ackee said, the population is exploding due to the plentiful reef fish you can see in the video. Last spring was the last time I was diving, and really the only thing most of us were concerned with was catching lobster. What I've been seeing from Dixie is that they are now encouraging everyone to get on board with killing lionfish. I happen to dive with this company in Deerfield Beach, the reefs they are showing are a 10 - 15 minute ride from shore near the Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Hillsboro Beach area. From the looks of the video not more than 40' - 60'.
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