http://www.undercurrent.org/UCnow/dive_magazine/2010/Lionfish201010.html

Interesting, Mel. I will have my lionfish sandwich now, please ;-)

Not very optimistic..

Here's a thought. http://www.reef.org/node/4104

Bonaire needs to have one of these events weekly. (See post above.)

They need to have deep water categories too. If they were to charge a small entry fee and give out prizes for most caught, largest, smallest, deepest, etc.

Then they need to have a post dive lionfish fry on the beach for anyone that wants to eat. Could charge a very small fee for a great dinner.

Do this until the species is wiped out in Bonaire.

e.

Personally, I think it's a great idea! Now all we need is to have the local government sign off on it & temporarily lift the ban on gloves & "extrication devices" for the event. Where do I sign up and who will volunteer to conduct the fish fry and cold beer after wards?

I will as long as proceeds go to getting me over there.

e.

Great community builder. I'll be there for almost three weeks in December and would participate as would Cindy. Do it monthly and make it a big deal. Lots of divers would catch lots of fish.

I really think that if a restaurant opened that made lionfish dishes their signature, paid a bounty for any lionfish [legally] brought in, they could put a dent in the population real quick. We could have a naming contest for the establishment right here on BT. I vote for The Lion Tamer.

e.

It might end up being a slippery slope where good intentions have significant negative consequences. It could take years to get people to comply with the rules and policies if they are relaxed to deal with the lionfish.

People may get comfortable touching the reef or banging into it while trying to trap or extract the lionfish.

The culinary solution, courtesy of the New York Times

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/new-weapon-against-invading-fish-the-pan/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Fid, sorry but if you can take a camera, you can bag a lion. Why would anyone make new assumptions about caring for the reef just because a lionfish eradication program were put in place. I would expect that people interested in helping out would be required to get a "license" of sorts to do so. Which would most likely come with a bit of training.

e.

Eric,

There is more to taking a successful quality underwater picture than holding a camera just as there is more to successfully catching a lionfish than go on a dive with lionfish gear.

After 8 months of lionfish hunting experience, we went on three dives today and caught 15 lionfish out of the 20 we saw. Depths ranged from 30 feet to 140 feet. The largest one we caught was less than 8 inches long. The other two lionfish hunters with us caught 10 lionfish out of the 14 they saw. They kept one 12 inch lionfish for dinner.

BTW - Lionfish is tasty.

Cindi

Yes, I agree, but it still makes the point that reef damage is not a reason to not allow people to hunt lionfish. Just like good picture taking requires extra attention to your position in relation to the reef, so would successful lionfish hunting. But since taking pictures is allowed, for the same reasons, hunting lionfish should also be allowed, at least as far as concern for the reef is taken into account.

BTW, thanks for all your efforts in this battle.

e.

I see your point Tiki Girl,

Shooting/netting lionfish almost always requires contact with the reef. I suppose they are occasionally in open water but it is rare in Bonaire.

I think a license proving competence with whatever device is to be used is needed before allwing open season.

I think losing a few coral polyps is worth saving the huge numbers of fish that can be destroyed by a single lion fish. Normally a taboo thought here, and I would usually agree. But in this situation...

e.