Lionfish Hunters

Indo-Pacific Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) on the Adolphus Busch wreck (85' depth) east of American Shoals

It's been a cold, blustery winter here in the Keys but April has finally brought more favorable conditions to be out on the water. KML staff scientist, Cindy Lewis, captured a 4.5" Lionfish while diving the wreck of the Adolphus Busch last weekend. Meanwhile, students from the Marine Invertebrate Zoology class from University of West Florida, staying at KML over the weekend, also captured a small Lionfish while snorkeling near-shore between Missouri and Ohio Keys (mm 39). Additional reports of 4 Lionfish spotted in the wheelhouse of the USS Vandenburg and 3 more sightings on the Cayman Salvage Master over the weekend off Key West are indeed sobering.

Diver carefully holding the bagged Lionfish, mindful of the venomous spines poking through the mesh bag

First spotted in the waters of the Florida Keys in January 2009, the invasive exotic Lionfish has no natural predators in the Atlantic and Caribbean Oceans, allowing this voracious predator to rapidly reproduce unchecked. Their dorsal, anal, and pectoral fins hide needle-sharp spines, capable of penetrating leather gloves, that deliver a dose of a powerful neuro-toxin, producing an extremely painful sting, often accompanied by swelling, numbness, and partial-paralysis. Every effort is being made to capture these fish and remove them from the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Sightings and captures are being reported to Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF).