They grow to over 18 inches long and weigh
2-3 pounds; they hunt during early morning and
late evening, but they have been found with full
stomachs during the day in the Atlantic. Oftentimes during the day they retreat to ledges and
crevices among the rocks and coral. A lionfish’s
stomach can expand up to 30 times its normal
size. They can really fill up, and this ability combined with its voracious appetite makes it such
a frightening invader. Females produce mucusencapsulated clusters of thousands of eggs that
are fertilized by males as the clusters float in the
water. Females can produce egg masses during all
seasons of the year and apparently have chemicals that make them distasteful to predators.
The Reef Environmental Education Foundation
(REEF) has been organizing and conducting derbies since the first derby in the Bahamas in 2009.
REEF aims to help others organize and conduct
safe and effective derbies through a “REEF Sanctioned Lionfish Derby” program providing tools,
templates, presentations and promotion for derby organizers. Derbies that meet criteria found
in successful derbies around the region will be
recognized and promoted through this program.
These derbies have removed over 10,000 fish,
and that number is still rising. Lionfish derbies
have been found to be effective tools in lionfish
removals.
These derbies not only help keep these invasive fish in check but provide competition and
fun for the entire family. Once you have the right
gear and learn how to handle these fish, you can
help the native species that fall prey, and put
some meat in your cooler. For more info on lionfish derbies, and to host one of your own, go to
www.reef.org.
Lionfish are delicious and their white buttery
meat lends itself to a number of different recipes.
In fact, there are many restaurants throughout
the Caribbean and southern U.S. that are featuring lionfish on their menus, to promote awareness while satisfying customers.
How lionfish will affect native fish populations
and commercial fishing industries has yet to be
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