http://video.pbs.org/video/2328658113/
I was fishing on the Miss Hatteras a few years ago and a guy next to me reeled one in. That was the first time I had heard of them in the Atlantic. The mate saved it for the state fish and game. Sounds like quite a problem in the GOM and Caribbean.
very informative and thankfully people are having a taste for it. thanks for sharing!
Thanks, it was interesting.
Thanks for pointing out the Lionfish problem. I agree eat them. We have a goose problem in an adjacent town. There are Canadian Geese all over the place and they are messy. They are fat and healthy. Every time I look at them I say to myself, "if only people knew how good they taste the goose problem would be solved." Dominick
Are the Honkers really good to eat Dominick? I've heard they are really greasy. We have an abundance of them in my neck of the woods too. Christmas Honker for Dinner! :D
SSSHHHHHHHHH don't tell anyone I won't have any honkers left for dinner. Yes they are great table fare.
x2 these geese are really good eating.
We have tons of Lionfish on all of the reefs here in S. Florida. Every time we go Lobster diving, we spear a few of them. Most are on the smallish side but they have beautiful white meat. Just gotta be careful with the spines. We usually snip the spines off right away before the fish goes into the cooler.
Hopefully, some of the native species of fish will learn to prey on them. There has been some footage shot in the Bahamas of a Mutton Snapper eating a Lionfish, so maybe, just maybe, mother nature can find a cure on her own.
Quote from: Shark Hunter on December 27, 2013, 07:48:13 AM
Are the Honkers really good to eat Dominick? I've heard they are really greasy. We have an abundance of them in my neck of the woods too. Christmas Honker for Dinner! :D
Cook them low and slow and they degrease themselves. Dominick
I hadn't realized how bad the lionfish problem had gotten.
every reef in north Florida is covered by them as well.we have dive tournament once or twice a year to clean the reefswith a cash prize for the most fish stuck.
Quote from: broschro on December 28, 2013, 03:00:39 AM
every reef in north Florida is covered by them as well.we have dive tournament once or twice a year to clean the reefswith a cash prize for the most fish stuck.
Any of the reefs shallow enough for free diving?
Not sure
Quote from: floating doc on December 28, 2013, 03:59:36 AM
Quote from: broschro on December 28, 2013, 03:00:39 AM
every reef in north Florida is covered by them as well.we have dive tournament once or twice a year to clean the reefswith a cash prize for the most fish stuck.
Any of the reefs shallow enough for free diving?
Go to Google Earth and move your curser over the area and you can read the depth on the bottom of the map. Dominick
Hopefully this is true for us on the east coast
Breaking News! Local fishermen today independently reported to Jimmy van Rijn, Saba Bank Park Officer, that since November 2013, while gutting Blackfin Snapper (Lutjanus buccanella) caught in traps on the Saba Bank, in depths between 90 and 108 meters, the invasive lionfish (Pterois) of up to 20cm length is being found frequently in the snappers' stomach. It would be a critical breakthrough if it can be verified that Blackfin Snappers feed on lionfish, which is thought to have no predators in the Caribbean and thus is spreading exponentially throughout the region, causing a tremendous threat to native marine fauna and local fisheries. Paul Hoetjes of the Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland in Bonaire and member of the Saba Bank National Park Steering Committee stated that it would be the first proof of natural predation on lionfish in the Caribbean and constitute a major discovery. Jimmy will now attempt to collect sufficient samples in collaboration with the fishermen to show that this it is not a freak occurrence and to draw some conclusions on comparative sizes of predator and prey. Updates to follow..."
Just like zebra mussels, down here in Texas our carp and buffalo keep them off of our hulls and docks. There is always something that will eat what you don't.
Yes the Northern GOM is ate up with them also. But the divers around here have been slaying them while they are down on their dives. And they have seen the snappers and some grouper eating the smaller ones according to reports on our local fishing forum.