# Want to clean your reefs of lionfish



## Firefishvideo

My dive buddy and I ( NO WORYZ ) have a lionfish tournament coming up, and the # of fish to qualify for first place is crazy high.
After posting this video : 



 ....I got the idea - that if this pyramid was eaten up with these little monsters...then I bet a LOT of the private reefs are the same way.
We have been collecting 40-50 lionfish off of EACH pyramid or chicken coop we have hit!
THEREFORE I PROPOSE:
I would like to tag along with some of the local fisherman who do not dive!
If you have private reefs, and would like them cleaned of lionfish for FREE.... send me a private message.
I'm sure no one will want to turn over GPS# ( unless you trust me ) ...so It would be up to you to provide transport to your spots.
I'll dive the reef and collect any and ALL lionfish ...+ some video.
You get a reef that is free of lionfish....and I get more lions for my tournament.

I am perfectly capable of collecting the number of fish I need from my regular ride....but I'd like to hit some private spots to increase my catch per dive + clean some spots that would normally be a haven for these little bastards.

I would like to be able to hit at least 3-4 private reefs per trip.

Beginning date : Sept 14 
End date Oct. 14

If this sounds like something you would like to look into...let me know ASAP.
Thanks, Scott Bartel.
www.firefishvideo.com

PS: Here is my buddy's thread on this subject (in the scuba section).
PPS: A good, safe, ship-shape vessel will be a must, Thanks!


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## lastcast

I'll bet there's alot of private #'s not producing as well as they should and the "owners" don't know why. If I had some, all I would need is a verbal agreement from you not to use or disclose later. I understand what your trying to do and hope there are people out there that will take advantage of this service. I hope you stick a ton! Good Luck!


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## jpark76

Where are you located and where can you dive out of? Do you come to Destin? My main question is that if a reef is covered with lionfish and not many snapper, aj's, grouper, etc. how long do you think that this will keep lionfish away? I know that typically you leave a reef alone for at least a year after deploying and wonder if it is the same after this process is completed? Also, in that time do the lionfish return? It seems like a great service and just wonder if it is a never ending cycle? Please let me know what you think.
Thanks.


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## TailRazor

Darn nice job, crazy how many were on that.


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## Disco

I can see this as a real viable business in the future.


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## Firefishvideo

jpark76 said:


> Where are you located and where can you dive out of? Do you come to Destin? My main question is that if a reef is covered with lionfish and not many snapper, aj's, grouper, etc. how long do you think that this will keep lionfish away? I know that typically you leave a reef alone for at least a year after deploying and wonder if it is the same after this process is completed? Also, in that time do the lionfish return? It seems like a great service and just wonder if it is a never ending cycle? Please let me know what you think.
> Thanks.


I'm located out of Pensacola....and I'd kind of like to see if I can stay over this way.
Since we will not be harvesting any sport fish during the operation, I believe your reef will not take long to improve.
As far as the lionfish returning.....I don't know. We are currently working with Dolphin Island Sealab and UWF on that exact question. We have cleared a number of reefs, which they will monitor via ROV.... only time will tell.
We all believe they will return..... but hopefully it would take a few years to build up to the current levels. That might be a few years of good fishing vs none.
I don't know how this is going to work out....but it seems like it could be a good deal for everyone involved. Well see how it goes for the limited dates ...don't know if I'll want any more of it after that!:blink: Frankly ...these are nasty little fish to deal with.....poisonous...and the pain is excruciating if you get stuck good.


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## Firefishvideo

Disco said:


> I can see this as a real viable business in the future.


 Don't know about that. You would have to get more than $3-$5 per fish to make it worth its while....I just don't see it happening on a commercial level.
It would be nice if they were hunted until their numbers were controllable!


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## jpark76

Also curious as to what your equipment is? It appeared like a 5 prong spear tip with limited or no barbs and a bag to keep them but is the bag specially designed to easily remove and to keep the fish from getting you through the bag? 

I know that many here would appreciate any info like this. The last time I dove I shot a couple of them with a regular spear pole and tip but was hesitant to remove from the pole as I thought I may get hit with a fin.

Thanks for your service and any info.


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## jim t

Wondering, and truly just wondering. How long does it take for lionfish to repopulate a spot?

Is it a losing battle?

Jim


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## Firefishvideo

jim t said:


> Wondering, and truly just wondering. How long does it take for lionfish to repopulate a spot?
> 
> Is it a losing battle?
> 
> Jim


 Please read the above posts....question has already been posted, thanks Jim.


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## Firefishvideo

jpark76 said:


> Also curious as to what your equipment is? It appeared like a 5 prong spear tip with limited or no barbs and a bag to keep them but is the bag specially designed to easily remove and to keep the fish from getting you through the bag?
> 
> I know that many here would appreciate any info like this. The last time I dove I shot a couple of them with a regular spear pole and tip but was hesitant to remove from the pole as I thought I may get hit with a fin.
> 
> Thanks for your service and any info.


The spear is a short pole spear with 3 or more points. Many of them have barbs, but some don't. The barbs are actually useful - as the lionfish body is very soft ....and you need it to stay stuck on the tip until its in the bag.
Most of the bags are a heavy/waterproof canvas...or a woven drybag type of plastic. There are several designs for the opening ....but my favorite it a modified lobster bag type one-way gate. You simply push the fish and tip through the gate...and when you withdraw the spear....the fish is scraped off into the bag. The spines can sometimes get through the canvas bags....I have not had one go through the plastic yet. I believe the spines are sharper than most man-made points....and they will pass through most objects like they are not even there! Leather and Kevlar are no match for the spines, and I have had a spine pass right through my Kevlar glove...through my finger...and withdraw completely...just by me brushing against a fish! I didnt' feel it until about a half second later.....and then I was in agony for about 4 hours. Its been about 2 months ... and the finger is almost back to normal.
You do NOT want to get stuck.


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## Evensplit

Great idea Scott, hope ya'll get some takers!


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## jackdaddycustoms

looks like you got that bag from mary poppins... you just keep stuffing fish in there... where do they all go? seriously though, how many fish will that bag hold?


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## no woryz

jackdaddycustoms said:


> looks like you got that bag from mary poppins... you just keep stuffing fish in there... where do they all go? seriously though, how many fish will that bag hold?



LOL...... that bag will hold well over 50-60+....the cone takes away a little bag room but helps in the fish removal and keeps them toward the end of the bag....The only trouble is with the larger fish like @ 1:37 into the video..... still modifying the bag a bit but works well..... That was a pretty good dive in the video where we killed 45 off the pyramid..... on the next pyramid Firefishvideo killed 51 there all by himself.....


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## dkdiver

I just wanted to throw my support into this although it certainly doesn't seem to be needed. :notworthy: These guys have been on a team that has been working off of my boat for some research projects and on every one of our trips have brought in a lot of fish.

This is my opinion only, but I think the fish are really multiplying on the structure divers either can't, or don't, hit often. Big or pretty wrecks have some on them but not the density we are seeing on small artificial structure that does not have regular visits from dive teams. I think they are blowing up on the small stuff and we are just beginning to scratch the surface. _I put a diver on the pyramid in the above video the day before the video was shot and he pulled 29 lionfish off of it. Do the math on one pyramid over two days_. They are also thick on natural bottom but not in the density of the small structure.


I feel that those who have invested in private numbers are going to lose their investment to this species without regular maintenance (for a lack of better terms). This is a great idea and based on what we have seen this year in increased number, we need to get on it before we become like so many places in the Caribbean

Thanks for posting guys!


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## no woryz

Thanks Dalton..... Hopefully we will get a taker or two with a win/win for both us and the fisherman.... Let us know when were headed out again....


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## Kim

I've seen a few videos shot in the Caribbean that show the sharks are learning to eat the Lion Fish. In the Red Sea and Indian Ocean they are preyed upon by Grouper and sharks. Our preditors just need to learn that the new fish is in the food chain. I'm sure some will be able to eat them and some won't.


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## purple haze

Best of luck to you any one else you hunts them. I would gladly send you some gps #s but all our spots are to deep for divers. I wonder what depth range the lionfish live at.


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## Firefishvideo

purple haze said:


> Best of luck to you any one else you hunts them. I would gladly send you some gps #s but all our spots are to deep for divers. I wonder what depth range the lionfish live at.


 The lionfish in this area are at ALL depths. They have been spotted in very deep water....all the way into Apalachicola river! Although we can dive to over 300' ....you are right....It wouldn't be worth it to go after lionfish on one reef.
I'm hoping for some reefs in the 50' to 120' range.
I will gladly except and protect numbers.... I just didn't expect anyone to offer them up.

I have yet to get anyone that wants to take advantage of this deal.
**** THIS IS FREE TO YOU *** NO SPORT FISH WILL BE TOUCHED *** YOUR PRIVATE NUMBERS WILL BE SECURE WHEATHER I RIDE WITH YOU OR YOU GIVE ME THE NUMBERS ***
*** I CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH VIDEO OF YOUR REEF ***

Thanks, Scott.


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## Safari III

Those things remind me of these little birds they have in Alaska. They call them "stupid chikens" and are similar to a quail. You can shoot one off a tree limb and the others just sit on their perch until their turn. Good job on cleaning those out. 

Wonder how long it will be before NOAA and the NMFS will say they have been over harvested or want to divide them up in to catch shares?


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## redlegs

Not too long before, they will enforce a harvest permit @ 99.00 per year per harvester.


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## WhackUmStackUm

Great idea Scott! I hope you get many takers.


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## WhackUmStackUm

purple haze said:


> Best of luck to you any one else you hunts them. I would gladly send you some gps #s but all our spots are to deep for divers. I wonder what depth range the lionfish live at.


I shot a bunch of lionfish last time I was diving on the Edge (180').


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## Turtlebait

Years ago, I used to work weekends on a commercial snapper boat to make some money for new dive gear. The Captain became frustrated because of low returns on his private spots that were in close (<150Ft). He asked me to "pop dive" these spots and gather any sinkers on the wreck to see which, if any, other Captains had found his spot (apparently each Captain had his own custom mold for pouring lead). I also gave him a report on the condition of the structure, types of fish, and any "stray" structures in the area (sometimes a new private spot was deployed nearby, pulling fish off of his reef). Occasionally, we would hook onto the structure and move it several hundred feet away. 
Divers and Fishermen CAN work together to better the marine environment for each other(I also got to shoot any BIG fish on the "pop dive"). We should all do our part to eliminate the Lionfish Invasion. Lionfish indiscriminately eat EVERYTHING that will fit in their mouth, including the reef fish the Charter Captains depend on for their livelihood. - Ric


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## Kim

Another interesting thing about Lion fish is that they are edible, their flesh is a close grained firm white meat. Red Sea, Indian ocean and all those Pacific Islands, the native populations eat everything that lives in the ocean. I speared some that were about 18 inches in length when I was stationed in Guam and tried them out. Good eating fish but I was put off by leather gloves and poultry shears to snip fins before fillet.


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## Firefishvideo

Lionfish are great to eat! I bagged half a dozen of them that weighted 1.5 lbs each this weekend. They were great on the grill!

...but back to the topic....

Please read my first post....and decide to do something for your private reef that does not cost you anything but a little on the water!
The dates are coming up fast, and this chance is slipping away from you.
We regularly get PAID to do this...and you would be getting it for FREE.
Send me a message now please.
Thanks, Scott.
PS: We have been noticing that the reef modules we are hitting either have some bigger fish ( Red Snapper ) or lionfish ....not both. I cant promise that if we clean your reef - it will become one of the Snapper reefs....but I can promise you that if you don't .......It has a high chance of being one of the lionfish ones.


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## BrakeTurnAccelerate

Dltd


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## Georgia tater

Fire fish I saw a video of people doing this in s.fl. But they carried heavy duty sissies with them and cut the dorsal and pectoral fins off b4 placing in the bag. I remember it was some fishing type show on discovery or one of those. Just thuoght I'd pass it on


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## jim t

Firefishvideo said:


> Lionfish are great to eat! I bagged half a dozen of them that weighted 1.5 lbs each this weekend. They were great on the grill!
> 
> ...but back to the topic....
> 
> Please read my first post....and decide to do something for your private reef that does not cost you anything but a little on the water!
> The dates are coming up fast, and this chance is slipping away from you.
> We regularly get PAID to do this...and you would be getting it for FREE.
> Send me a message now please.
> Thanks, Scott.
> PS: We have been noticing that the reef modules we are hitting either have some bigger fish ( Red Snapper ) or lionfish ....not both. I cant promise that if we clean your reef - it will become one of the Snapper reefs....but I can promise you that if you don't .......It has a high chance of being one of the lionfish ones.


I think guys are reluctant to give personal lat/longs. Now a days a watch or a cell phone can give a "lat/long". Offer to leave EVERYTHING but a clear plastic bag with your wallet and a turned off cell phone, that you don't mind being inspected. Maybe you'll get more response.

Technology, today is incredible. Offer to "de-tech" yourself. Phone, watch, etc.

Jim

Jim


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## Sea-r-cy

jim t said:


> I think guys are reluctant to give personal lat/longs. Now a days a watch or a cell phone can give a "lat/long". Offer to leave EVERYTHING but a clear plastic bag with your wallet and a turned off cell phone, that you don't mind being inspected. Maybe you'll get more response.
> 
> Technology, today is incredible. Offer to "de-tech" yourself. Phone, watch, etc.
> 
> Jim
> 
> Jim


Gotta agree. I would be very reluctant to take anyone I didn't personally know to one of my artificial reefs. Lion fish can't clean the good fish off a reef as fast as a shared number.


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## Firefishvideo

jim t said:


> I think guys are reluctant to give personal lat/longs. Now a days a watch or a cell phone can give a "lat/long". Offer to leave EVERYTHING but a clear plastic bag with your wallet and a turned off cell phone, that you don't mind being inspected. Maybe you'll get more response.
> 
> Technology, today is incredible. Offer to "de-tech" yourself. Phone, watch, etc.
> 
> Jim
> 
> Jim


I'm already low tech sir.
My phone is a brick...and loses signal at the pass.
I have the most to lose getting on a strang boat with strange people...so there would be only so much gear that I would be willing to leave behind.
If the reef owner can't trust me enough to do this deal...then I can't trust them enough to bring me back alive.
I don't need to steal numbers....+ I don't normally like to dive the reef modules..... I preferre natural bottom....and I have plenty of numbers for that.
This isn't really that important to me that I'm going to go any further out of my way to help out the fishermen. If they can't see the great deal here... Fine....no skin off my back. I'll get mine anyway. 
I'm withdrawing the offer.
Thanks, Scott.


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## Firefishvideo

Sea-r-cy said:


> Gotta agree. I would be very reluctant to take anyone I didn't personally know to one of my artificial reefs. Lion fish can't clean the good fish off a reef as fast as a shared number.


 Did you watch the video? If your reefs are anything like what we have been seeing.....you wont be going to them much longer.
I wish you luck.....and I truly hope that nature will find a way of turning the tide. Nature usually works slowly though.....might take a hundred years:whistling:


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## jim t

Scott,

Just generally stating why guys might be hesitant to accept your offer.

I also don't know you from Adam. An offer to leave all electronics in your car, after leaving a float plan (10 miles SE of the pass) would go a long way.

You SAY you don't need to steal numbers. Okay, then leave all electronics behind.

We are arguing the same point, on opposite ends of the offer. Hence the stalemate.

Jim


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## Sea-r-cy

Firefishvideo said:


> Did you watch the video? If your reefs are anything like what we have been seeing.....you wont be going to them much longer.
> I wish you luck.....and I truly hope that nature will find a way of turning the tide. Nature usually works slowly though.....might take a hundred years:whistling:


 I have no doubt that lionfish can eat lots of smaller fish. Can't imagine one of them eating a 5# snapper. Numbers in the wrong hands can catch them quickly..


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## Firefishvideo

Sea-r-cy said:


> I have no doubt that lionfish can eat lots of smaller fish. Can't imagine one of them eating a 5# snapper. Numbers in the wrong hands can catch them quickly..


 No - you are right.....they wont eat the 5# snapper - they eat all the food that draws the 5# snapper to your reef....and if the snapper fry are living on your reef ....they eat them too.


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## Firefishvideo

jim t said:


> Scott,
> 
> Just generally stating why guys might be hesitant to accept your offer.
> 
> I also don't know you from Adam. An offer to leave all electronics in your car, after leaving a float plan (10 miles SE of the pass) would go a long way.
> 
> You SAY you don't need to steal numbers. Okay, then leave all electronics behind.
> 
> We are arguing the same point, on opposite ends of the offer. Hence the stalemate.
> 
> Jim


No - I understand what you are getting at....and I went as far as I could in the OP to find a mutually agreeable workaround for the problem.
I believe that the lack of enthusiasm is caused by one of two things :
Either there aren't enough multi-reef owners on this forum ..... or the reef owners will not trust anyone - for any reason.
I guess a possible third ...would be that fishermen do not fully understand the problem yet.

I need to be able to trust the boat operator with my LIFE while I'm in the water.....so If there cannot be any trust....then the whole thing is dead right there. I assumed that since I was going to the trouble of letting a stranger guide me to their reefs ....that I would NOT have my gps tracking the whole trip!

You may not know me from "adam" but HE is actually a guy that is pretty easy to look up. ....and so am I. A Look at my website to see who I have and am working with, and a call to any of the dive shops would yield enough information to give me more than enough credibility.

None of this really matters at this point...because time has nearly run out...and I have made other plans.


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## WhackUmStackUm

Firefishvideo said:


> ...I'm withdrawing the offer...


Scott,

I want to express my continued enthusiasm for your proposal and generous offer. I feel both a periodic lionfish cleaning and a report of the state of a fisherman's reefs would be an important part of "tending his farm" so to speak.

In this area there seems to be ten people ready to shoot and idea down, or look for selfish motives, for every supportive person. The crab pot mentality is all about pulling/putting people down.

You can make a difference...and you ARE making a difference by your example, and your actions. I encourage you to keep up the good work.

Bryan


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## submariner

*plus 1*



WhackUmStackUm said:


> Scott,
> 
> I want to express my continued enthusiasm for your proposal and generous offer. I feel both a periodic lionfish cleaning and a report of the state of a fisherman's reefs would be an important part of "tending his farm" so to speak.
> 
> In this area there seems to be ten people ready to shoot and idea down, or look for selfish motives, for every supportive person. The crab pot mentality is all about pulling/putting people down.
> 
> You can make a difference...and you ARE making a difference by your example, and your actions. I encourage you to keep up the good work.
> 
> Bryan


Plus 1:thumbup:


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## Firefishvideo

Although I wasn't really looking for support for myself....but to actually support the fishery myself.....I really appreciate those that have voiced support for my post.
I know I'm one of the lucky ones that gets to see the things under the sea first-hand....and that its hard to imagine - what someone has not seen for themselves.


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## jpark76

Firefish,

Do you guys go on weekends only or can you go during the week? I work weekends and am not available to go out unless it is during the week. I still think that this sounds like a great idea and would be interested in taking you to three spots in October but I am out of Destin. 

I think that my reefs are being seriously damaged by these fish and or have already been found by other fisherman or both. Last two times there we caught fish we someone else's leader hanging out of its mouth. I would be interested to find out about the status of the lionfish or fish population in general and although I am a diver as well we have never dove these reefs (chicken coops).

Let me know what you think and maybe we can work something out.


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## no woryz

jpark76 said:


> Firefish,
> 
> Do you guys go on weekends only or can you go during the week? I work weekends and am not available to go out unless it is during the week. I still think that this sounds like a great idea and would be interested in taking you to three spots in October but I am out of Destin.
> 
> I think that my reefs are being seriously damaged by these fish and or have already been found by other fisherman or both. Last two times there we caught fish we someone else's leader hanging out of its mouth. I would be interested to find out about the status of the lionfish or fish population in general and although I am a diver as well we have never dove these reefs (chicken coops).
> 
> Let me know what you think and maybe we can work something out.


jpark76

Thanks for your input, I am sure that we could work something out during the week and would happy to help....With a couple of days notice I could easily slip away on a weekday.... you can pm either Scott(firefish) or myself and knock out some details..... Thanks

Clint


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## countryjwh

i cant believe the video with the lion fish on the pyramid. i dive out of dauphin island and dive a good many pyramids but the lion fish have not started taking over yet. you can tell that they are starting to though. used to be just one or two and now there can be up to ten or so. i wouldnt imagine what to do swimming down and seeing 40 or 50. hopefully someone will take you up on the offer.


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## Firefishvideo

We hit some single reef modules today. 3 divers - 4 dives each ....331 lionfish taken.
I personally took 122 today - 61 off of one module.
Will post pics/video later.


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## BILL MONEY

Firefishvideo said:


> We hit some single reef modules today. 3 divers - 4 dives each ....331 lionfish taken.
> I personally took 122 today - 61 off of one module.
> Will post pics/video later.


 
WOW !!! with the snapper regulations the way they are and the numbers that you can catch .... I do not understand the general lack of support that was given these guys for what they are trying to do.... as for the private reefs... the point has been beaten to death ... 

Hope you guys do well in hte tournament .... i understand a large nimber of these are used for reserch .. but what about the rest ??? can i ask you to save a ice chest full for me ?? would make a great fish fry !! also have an idea for you .... if you want to increase awarness... with all the money govt. money wasted i would think it should be fairly easiy to get a small grant to encourage them as a eatible fish... set a up a free fish fry outside a publix with big banners .... people listen better when their mouth is full....:whistling: of tasty delicacies !! :thumbup:


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## Firefishvideo

BILL MONEY said:


> WOW !!! with the snapper regulations the way they are and the numbers that you can catch .... I do not understand the general lack of support that was given these guys for what they are trying to do.... as for the private reefs... the point has been beaten to death ...
> 
> Hope you guys do well in hte tournament .... i understand a large nimber of these are used for reserch .. but what about the rest ??? can i ask you to save a ice chest full for me ?? would make a great fish fry !! also have an idea for you .... if you want to increase awarness... with all the money govt. money wasted i would think it should be fairly easiy to get a small grant to encourage them as a eatible fish... set a up a free fish fry outside a publix with big banners .... people listen better when their mouth is full....:whistling: of tasty delicacies !! :thumbup:


All our fish right now are going to the tournament...they are going to cook a bunch of them during the awards....and the rest will go to research. Im sure that anyone that wanted to come the the awards would be welcomed and could try out the fish.
Here is the link to the organization putting on the tournament. 
http://www.ecreef.org/


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## Firefishvideo

Here are some pics!
A couple of the FWC data gatherers were at the dock when we got back .......didn't believe us when we told them we had over 300 lionfish. They Stopped counting after the first of 3 coolers!


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## dustyflair

If they put a price on them and had an open season we would fish them out within months...


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## Firefishvideo

dustyflair said:


> If they put a price on them and had an open season we would fish them out within months...


I wish that were true.....but not even close.....might want to check out the facts on this species. Each female can produce 2 million eggs a year....and they become mature in 2 months.
We got 331 fish off of a half dozen reefs ....were you joking when you said you could hope to fish them out?
Also....
There is no season..... Invasive species....kill all you can.
Too bad they don't bite hooks


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## Orion45

No easy way to get rid of lionfish...just like nutria in LA.


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## BILL MONEY

Too bad they don't bite hooks[/QUOTE]


once they eat all available.. they will start bitting hooks... but lets hope tit doesn't get to that...


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## Firefishvideo

BILL MONEY said:


> Too bad they don't bite hooks


 
once they eat all available.. they will start bitting hooks... but lets hope tit doesn't get to that...[/QUOTE]
I have started finding small spines in the stomachs of the larger lionfish....so I believe they are resorting to cannibalism already. 
This will only keep their numbers at 40-90 lions per reef mod though!:whistling:
If they need to start biting hooks.....it will be long after all the fishermen have stopped having any reason to go out.


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## Kim

I don' intend to derail your post but since you paint such a gloomy picture for the Gulf of Mexico fish and fishing here it is. The Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, Gulf or Adan, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, down through the Straits of Malicca all the way to Australia including all the islands in between should have had their fish populations pushed to extinction by the voracious Lion Fish by your reasoning.

Yes they are an invasive species and no they will not wipe out our native species. Are they a problem? Yes they are but some of our fish will be able to eat them and when they figure it out nature will balance the equation just like every where else in the world. There are some videos posted on YouTube showing sharks and grouper eating the Lion Fish. 

Meanwhile keep spearing and eating those buggers. I've tried catching them fishing but no luck so far.


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## Firefishvideo

Kim said:


> I don' intend to derail your post but since you paint such a gloomy picture for the Gulf of Mexico fish and fishing here it is. The Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, Gulf or Adan, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, down through the Straits of Malicca all the way to Australia including all the islands in between should have had their fish populations pushed to extinction by the voracious Lion Fish by your reasoning.
> 
> Yes they are an invasive species and no they will not wipe out our native species. Are they a problem? Yes they are but some of our fish will be able to eat them and when they figure it out nature will balance the equation just like every where else in the world. There are some videos posted on YouTube showing sharks and grouper eating the Lion Fish.
> 
> Meanwhile keep spearing and eating those buggers. I've tried catching them fishing but no luck so far.


I hope for the best outcome....I know I'm pushing the Doom and gloom....but I'm not saying anything that is not already happening. I hope that Mother Nature will take over...and balance things out....but it's not a given...not even good odds. Plenty of other species have been pushed out of other areas by invasive species.
As for the other areas of the world......for some reason the lionfish population is not nearly as dense as it is here. Something seems to be different here in the panhandle....and it's not good.
I have seen trigger eat the lionfish.....but only after I have killed them and ripped them in half. Only then will they come close enough to pick at the white meat that is sticking out. They will not touch the rest of the fish ...or any that are still moving.
The videos online are of people baiting sharks to take fish from divers...and that's not good for anyone. Kind of like feeding the bears.
I'll keep killing them and try to learn as much as I can....passing it on to the researchers that are working on the problem.


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## tkh329

Firefishvideo said:


> Here are some pics!
> A couple of the FWC data gatherers were at the dock when we got back .......didn't believe us when we told them we had over 300 lionfish. They Stopped counting after the first of 3 coolers!


Hahaha, that's awesome! 

Wish I could help but with just a bay boat and no private numbers I'm useless... If you ever want to check nearshore public numbers I'd be happy to provide a ride! Keep up the good work and good luck in the tournament.


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## Kenton

Has anyone thought about developing a hands free 12v de-spine device? Where you just run the fish through before he goes on ice. Then once home he is ready to fillet and eat.


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## WhackUmStackUm

I've sketched up a scuba tank-powered device that would suck them up underwater, pull them through some blades and spit them out the back as chum. It's like a wood chipper for lionfish.

A slightly less medieval device I have been thinking about would be like an underwater shop vac. Air, battery, and hand pump powered models could be made. Much faster and safer than current stab-and-bag methods.

Perhaps we need a "lionfish tech" thread? 100 minds working on the technology problems would be better than one or two.


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## Kenton

Haha, i like that idea better. Cant wait for the PETA freaks to get a hold of that video.


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## Firefishvideo

WhackUmStackUm said:


> I've sketched up a scuba tank-powered device that would suck them up underwater, pull them through some blades and spit them out the back as chum. It's like a wood chipper for lionfish.
> 
> A slightly less medieval device I have been thinking about would be like an underwater shop vac. Air, battery, and hand pump powered models could be made. Much faster and safer than current stab-and-bag methods.
> 
> Perhaps we need a "lionfish tech" thread? 100 minds working on the technology problems would be better than one or two.


I love the chum-o-matic idea! The main problem encountered with any new design will be the 12" gap between the device and the fish. While most of the fish will stay pretty still for you....even while you are shooting his buddy right next to him!!! ..... most of them WILL move if you get anything closer than about 12" to them. They can move pretty fast when they want to.
I know you know all about it ....just some info for any other brains on the job!


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## snake 166

What a great video and man are you a killing machine!!!! The good news is that lionfish are not afraid and are easy to kill. The bad news is that they are so abundant in a very short time which means that control by manual removal would seem to be almost impossible other than your proposal to clean personal reefs.

Thanks for opening our eyes. I think this is a very serious invasion.


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## KKDONOVAN

I'm just curious...has anyone found any lionfish in the bay(question mark quit working) ....thanks


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## WhackUmStackUm

KKDONOVAN said:


> I'm just curious...has anyone found any lionfish in the bay(question mark quit working) ....thanks


Yes. My friend shot some lionfish on the Bay side of Ft. Pickens.


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