Florida has some of the best fishing in the country.
But the oceans around the state are under threat.
And Florida fishermen are in a big fight against one scary problem wreaking havoc.
Florida fishermen are hunting down invasive lionfish
The oceans surrounding Florida are facing a threat from an invasive species, the lionfish.
Lionfish are native to the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean.
They were brought to the United States as fish for aquariums because of their distinctive appearance of zebra-like stripes.
We sent a reporter to accompany divers armed with spears to kill elusive, invasive lionfish that threaten Florida’s reef ecosystems, whose venomous spines inflict injuries so bad they’re described as among most painful in ocean @FreshTakeFla https://t.co/XBQJ2cz79V pic.twitter.com/CAsaJVR5XY
— Ted Bridis (@tbridis) September 3, 2024
They have 18 venomous spines that they use to protect them against predators and grow to more than a foot in length.
No one is sure how they spread in the waters of Florida but it is suspected that aquarium owners released them without understanding the effect it would have on the ecosystem.
Lionfish have no natural predators in the oceans around Florida.
They reproduce quickly and their big appetites take a toll on the native fish populations.
Grouper, snapper, and shrimp populations have all been affected by the growing number of lionfish.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission puts on contests to catch lionfish to help reduce their population.
Lionfish reside in seagrass, coral, and artificial reefs on the ocean floor.
They are hunted by divers who use spearguns to capture them dead or alive and are placed in containers where they are brought back to the surface.
Florida’s great lionfish hunt
The winner of last year’s lionfish challenge by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Baye Beauford of Jacksonville, caught 1,514 of them during the three-month summer event.
Florida divers caught more than 30,000 lionfish last year.
Beauford hunts for lionfish 25 miles off the coast of North Florida where there are fewer divers after them.
He has seen lionfish start to cannibalize each other after they ate all the small fish in their habitat.
Tim Robinson runs a South Florida-based business that sells equipment to hunt lionfish.
His company, ZooKeeper, was one of the sponsors of this year’s lionfish challenge.
“Right now, the only answer is divers, diving and shooting them,” Robinson said. “They’re trying to come up with some traps and stuff, but [it’s] difficult because the lionfish is a different species.”
ZooKeeper spokeswoman Particia Mauldin said that humans are the only predators they face.
“If there wasn’t anybody out there hunting, it would kill the reef,” Maudlin said.
Diver Cristina Parr hunts lionfish as a hobby.
One of the concerns for divers going after them is avoiding their venomous spines.
She noted that Robinson’s equipment and expertise made hunting them safer.
“They definitely make it safer to catch them,” Parr said. “It makes it more appealing and easier to catch them and enjoy your dive without being worried about getting stung.”
Lionfish despite their venomous spines are safe to eat.
They have a taste similar to grouper or snapper.
Some states like Texas have encouraged residents to eat more lionfish as a way to control the population.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
