# Lionfish Hunters Jackpot! - new video from last weeks trip



## Firefishvideo (Jul 1, 2010)

This footage turned out better than I could have hoped! We took over 100 fish from this site alone! Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHbdEXJD748&feature=youtu.be


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

Great video but sad to see all those pests. Thanks to you guys for doing a great service for our area. Hope it all pays off for you in the end! Thanks again.


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## RedLeg (Mar 15, 2014)

Awesome video! Glad you cleaned up some of the invaders. Looked like a few nice triggers were camping out too.


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## KingCrab (Apr 29, 2012)

Think its time to start having fish fry's. All we can eat.:thumbsup: Hear they are good. Make them worth about $4 a lb whole & have some tournaments. That would end them.


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

DANG what a bunch of them critters!!!


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## badonskybuccaneers (Aug 19, 2013)

Amazing video! Great! Wish we had 100 divers a day clearing those things from the waters and adding them to some restaurants menus...


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## RaisinCain (Feb 4, 2014)

*Great Work*

Great job! Keep up the good work.


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## cheesegrits (Sep 18, 2013)

My gosh there were a bunch of them on those reef balls! What kind of fish were those they had eaten? 
I watched a documentary a couple of weeks ago from Roatan where the they went down in a submersible and were finding lionfish as deep as 600 ft. They also reported the higher population densities seemed to be around 2-400 ft. This is what scares me about the future of native fish populations, they seem to vacuum up pretty much all the small fish off a site. Each mature female can pump out up to 2,000,000 eggs when they spawn. Impossible to stop the spread as they drift with the currents until they find a home.

Thank you for putting a dent in the population!


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## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

It was just 4 years ago that I dove and I didn't see a single lion fish. Crazy how it's only been a few years and they are taking over our reef structures.


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## Realtor (Oct 1, 2007)

good lord, to bad they are a "bad fish" They are certainly a beautiful fish. what eats them in the wild, I know there isn't any natural predators here, but what ate them where they came from?


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## WhackUmStackUm (Jan 31, 2010)

Great video. Shocking.


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## dsar592 (Oct 12, 2007)

That is an awesome video. Simply amazing that they are that thick.


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## WhyMe (Apr 21, 2013)

Damn, that's a lot of fish..darn things are mating like rabbits.
WhyMe 
Mako My Dayo


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## Firefishvideo (Jul 1, 2010)

Thanks everyone! That was our last virgin reef in the Scientific set. We hit a bunch of them that were loaded up....just glad I was finally able to capture what we were seeing.
I'll tell you - it was pretty daunting ....circling that reef with the camera....knowing that I was going to have to try to kill all of those after I set the camera down!
Once I set it down....I had about 6 minutes left before I had to leave the bottom.
I killed 46 fish!
NoWoryz came down to collect the rest. Glad I had backup!


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## Ehllis (Mar 26, 2014)

Thanks again.


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## Burnt Drag (Jun 3, 2008)

There just can't be a problem with lionfish. NOAA fisheries would be all over it. After all, they and FWC manage our fisheries with diligence and caution.


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## NoleAnimal (Apr 3, 2014)

Burnt Drag said:


> There just can't be a problem with lionfish. NOAA fisheries would be all over it. After all, they and FWC manage our fisheries with diligence and caution.


Sure, anything can improve, however- you haven't seen poor fisheries management until you've seen how Maryland manages their Striped Bass (Rockfish up here) population. They are just about to run this thing into the ground. Again.


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## TailRazor (Apr 25, 2011)

Hated to see what they dug out of their stomaches, appreciate what you are doing.


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## BananaTom (Feb 16, 2008)

*That was a beautiful video.*


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

Realtor said:


> good lord, to bad they are a "bad fish" They are certainly a beautiful fish. what eats them in the wild, I know there isn't any natural predators here, but what ate them where they came from?


http://www.safespear.com/v.php?pg=59

My guess is some reef fish will eventually begin to consume them. Would be great if a hungry 20lb red snapper became curious and told his buddies how tasty they were.


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## Firefishvideo (Jul 1, 2010)

gator7_5 said:


> http://www.safespear.com/v.php?pg=59
> 
> My guess is some reef fish will eventually begin to consume them. Would be great if a hungry 20lb red snapper became curious and told his buddies how tasty they were.


 I wish this would be the case...but I doubt it.
Unless you have had to deal with those 4+ inch ...razor sharp spines.... you might not realize what a problem they are.
Eating this fish whole would be like you eating an apple with nails sticking out of it.
Could you do it? Shure! Would you ever do it again? Heck no!

Those spines are sharper than hypodermic needles...and the toxin they carry is devastating to muscle tissue.
Even our Kevlar gloves do nothing to prevent long-lasting damage to our hands. Imagine what those spines would do the the insides of a fish's mouth and throat!
Even if our native fish for some reason WANTED to eat these things....the damage sustained to the eating ability of mature breeding fish might cause a population decrease on its own.


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

Firefishvideo said:


> I wish this would be the case...but I doubt it.
> Unless you have had to deal with those 4+ inch ...razor sharp spines.... you might not realize what a problem they are.
> Eating this fish whole would be like you eating an apple with nails sticking out of it.
> Could you do it? Shure! Would you ever do it again? Heck no!
> ...


I hear you. It appears they aren't poisonous per se, though. If they go down head first, the fins should be compacted. I've pulled plenty of adult catfish out of Cobias bellies. Cant be that much different. Not to mention humans would react to venom much differently than a fish.

Just hoping Mother Nature will let something protect the ecosystem.

And if not, we're eff'd. All of you divers couldn't make a dent in the lionfish population if you hunted them weekly.


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## Firefishvideo (Jul 1, 2010)

gator7_5 said:


> I hear you. It appears they aren't poisonous per se, though. If they go down head first, the fins should be compacted. I've pulled plenty of adult catfish out of Cobias bellies. Cant be that much different. Not to mention humans would react to venom much differently than a fish.
> 
> Just hoping Mother Nature will let something protect the ecosystem.
> 
> And if not, we're eff'd. All of you divers couldn't make a dent in the lionfish population if you hunted them weekly.


I have de-hooked a few catfish.....with bare hands.....only been stuck a couple times.
The lionfish is not like a catfish. Many more spines...LONGER, SHARPER, more venom. There isn't an angle or method for grabbing ahold of them without being stuck. 
Even if something DID eat them....the spines would have to travel through the stomach , ect. and would do damage there.
I don't know what point they would be digested....if at all....but they would have plenty of time to poke holes in sensitive areas first.
Sounds like a good experiment! I'll have to find out what ph the acid in a snappers stomach is....and see how long it would take to dissolve one of the spines enough to not be dangerous.:yes:


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

someone should throw one to a cobe late this week and see if it eats?


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