Pat's Wildways: Lionfish Shootout

I knew about this even before Bucko and I arrived in Placencia, Belize, this time: there would be a “Lionfish Shootout” when we were there, and I was eager to photograph the action. Lionfish are a handsome, multi-spined fish only about a foot long that are top predators in the tropical waters of the Pacific, where they have lots of predators themselves. In their native range, these fish are no problem, and their beauty has attracted aquarium keepers who like displaying them.

BUT, once people get tired of their aquarium pets and ditch them in Florida (where it is now illegal to import them for the pet trade) and elsewhere in the Caribbean Sea on the other side of the world, they take over! In the warm waters off Florida and throughout the Caribbean, these fish are wreaking havoc and destroying much of the native ecosystems they have taken over. These fish live up to 30 years and a female may spawn every 3-4 days, releasing over 2 million eggs per year, out-competing cherished native fish like groupers and snappers and changing the ecology of the reefs. They eat almost anything smaller than themselves and have no natural enemies in the Caribbean — nothing eats them, and they are taking over. One study found that lionfish stomachs can expand up to 30 times, allowing them to eat up to 20 native reef fish in just a half-hour. Besides this, their spines are highly toxic and their sting is among the most painful in the world and hurts for days, at least according to my Placencia friend Layla, who has suffered this ordeal herself.

The Lionfish Shootout in Placencia on March 15, sponsored by conservation groups and organized by the Southern Environmental Association (SEA) Belize, marked the start of Reef Week — a widespread collaborative effort to bring awareness to the conservation of the reefs of Belize. I was delighted to be there to document the action.

So, Bucko and I walked over to the pier early on March 15 to take in the scene. Three teams of divers — from Fins and Splash dive shops and the village of Riversdale — were participating in this event to compete for prizes for the most fish caught, the largest catch weight, the largest individual lionfish and even the smallest. I photographed the teams before they set off with their diving equipment, spears and containers to safely hold their catch without getting a painful jab themselves.

Later that afternoon Bucko and I revisited the pier to see the results. It was a festive time for sure.

The “Lyrical King” was singing a made-up song about lionfish as the crews brought their hauls of dead lionfish to the dock for weighing and measuring. The winning team from Fins Dive Store only dived on two sites that day, from 35 to 80 feet deep, and removed 424 lionfish for a total of 409 pounds! This, obviously, is only the tip of the massive problem on the reefs in the area, and all throughout the Caribbean and Florida these days.

Luckily lionfish are edible and delicious, but their filets are small and it takes a lot of work to clean enough to make a meal. Although lionfish are harvested year-round to supply restaurants, on this day only the three competing crews got to keep their catches. The fish were divided among the team members, as were the winning cash prizes for heaviest catch, most fish caught, and largest and smallest fish. I managed to score some filets from Fins to taste it for myself.

I popped my filets in our freezer overnight and the next morning I brought them to my Belizean friend Julie who operates a small shop, “Kendra’s Kitchen” where I buy my homemade lunches most days. Julie took over the lionfish preparation for me and concocted a gourmet meal of lionfish cooked in garlic butter and adorned with onion and green peppers, to go with the usual fare of rice and beans. It was wonderful!

Many of the restaurants in Placencia serve their own variations of lionfish meals and the recipes abound for these delicate white fish filets. Creative Belizeans have found other uses for this plethora of lionfish in their waters too. One enterprising on the Fins team left with a large garbage can full of lionfish to filet, dehydrate and make into dog treats. Further down the Placencia sidewalk, the gift shop Ammonite sells earrings made from lionfish spines set in silver. Online I discovered that some companies even make “leather” for wallets from lionfish skins.

In Florida we also have an invasion of lionfish in our waters and there are “lionfish derbies” like this one in Placencia to try to control them. But for now, sadly, with their high reproductive rate and alarming appetite for native species, it looks like lionfish are here to stay. Check out the photos in this column to learn more.

Pat Foster-Turley, Ph.D., is a zoologist on Amelia Island. She welcomes your nature questions and observations.