Can LION FISH be our next fishery resource?

[abacomessageboard]

Can LION FISH be our next fishery resource?

Monday, June2 at 6:30 pm
St. John The Baptis Anglican Church Hall
Don McKay Boulevard, Marsh Harbour
Call 367-2721
Public meeting will feature a presentation on the Natural History of the Lionfish presented by Lakeshia Anderson, Department of Marin Resources.
The presentation will be followed by a honds-on demonstration by Chef Extraordinaire Alexander Maliils, who will teach you how to cook and clean LION Fish, a delicacy in the Asian kitchen.

Or contact anita@friendsoftheenvironment.

[Rykat]

uuuuhhhhhhhh...................................... ...............NOT!

[HALF-A-HAMIAN]

Squirrel fish are toxic and must be handled with care, but are excellent table fare. I guess you can use a conch bruiser to dispatch a lion fish, then keep something in the boat (rubber gloves) to handle them with. Who knows, they may be as flavourful as grouper.

[Joe Hamrick]

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/RedLionfish/RLionfish.html

I did not see how to clean them, but don't think I care.

[bonefish1]

They should be killed on site if possible. A deadly fish. I am no expert, but who came up with this idea ? Is the Lion mutiplying so fast ? Ask some scuba folks about this fish.....they are bad news !!!!!!!!!!

[HALF-A-HAMIAN]

No doubt they g'dead! But if they eat, why not?

[Paul & Kim]

I am of the opinion that if the lionfish is considered a resource and maybe even a game fish then man will find a way to unintentionally irradicate them.

[Rykat]

Hopefully,(irradicate) they do not belong here(there)! JMHO!

[dogfish]

The surest way to reduce the population of lionfish is to spread the word to the guys in Florida that they taste better the hogfish and you will see those things dangling from the end of everyone's spear faster than you can say "what limit?". In fact, put a limit on the harvest of lionfish and they will go quicker;)

But seriously, I was talking to a local about lionfish and joked about spreading the word that they taste great and his response was quick........yes they do! So people are already eating them in the Abacos.

BTW, in most cases they are not deadly just extremely painful.

-Doug

[conchyjoe]

They should be killed on site if possible. A deadly fish. I am no expert, but who came up with this idea ? Is the Lion mutiplying so fast ? Ask some scuba folks about this fish.....they are bad news !!!!!!!!!!
You are right Boney, They are bad news, and proliferating in new and interesting ares. TCI is talking about them a lot as well.

[norvell]

while snorkeling on the south end, Sea of Abaco side, of Guana a few months ago. It was hiding under a little piece of metal. I did not linger!

[f-stop]

here are quick 3C's from Eleuthera: how to catch, clean and cook lionfish.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hR-0zXnYMuc (http://youtube.com/watch?v=hR-0zXnYMuc)
anyone has personal experience that the heat really does break down the poison in the spikes?

[Marty]

Don't really care to find out. I'll kill any I find.

[NoMoSnow]

You have to admit, they are pretty, especially on the end of a pole spear.
At the risk of sounding like a Soprano's character, we offed quite a few in Bimini.
Feeling bad? Forgedaboudit.

[f-stop]

Still I like the idea of eating them. Supposedly it is a delicacy in Japan, but I can't find any recipes or other info to substantiate it.
Wouldn't it would be cool if bahamian government allowed spear guns for lionfish hunt? Could start a bussiness - saving the baby groupers with the added cheap thrill: danger of getting stung!

[bonefish1]

You have be kidding. Those, who do not know this dangerous fish, and reel one in, and BOOM, a medial emergency. Your Logic ( and I use the term Logic loosely), scares me. Kill on site. Warn the casual tourist fisher types of what they look like, let the divers know (they probably already can identify this dangerous swimmer) , the population may, may be increasing. I say "may" as I dont dive. One of the most assinine ideas I have heard of in the Bahamas....."Come to the Bahamas's...it only getting better !!!" or in this case more dangerous. I would LOL but this is way far too serious a subject.

My (5 cents) Inflation !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[f-stop]

that was not very nice, bone.
We are in complete agreement about killing on sight part. The point of my post was what to do with them afterwards. In the video I linked earlier, they show that the poison in the lionfish fins can be broken down with heat. Not sure I want to verify that first hand, but I'm finding more info to support it. That would take packing a torch on my next trip... Also, I don't think you'll be pulling the lionfish up on the line unless you do night fishing - they don't seem to be moving around much in the daytime. So up to now, hawiian sling seems to be the way to go. And lastly, although very painful, I was not able to find a single case of death from a lionfish sting (Nassau Guardian says there is none), which makes me believe that.. oh, I don't know... going after marlin could be more dangerous. And not as eco-friendly.

[ModeratorXXX]

The seminar was more than a week ago. Too bad we did not get a report from someone who attended. Thread closed.