Piano Sculpture, Exumas, Bahamas – Off all the places to find a big fat lionfish!
Anyone who has spent time snorkeling in the Caribbean has probably seen Lionfish on the reefs. The Lionfish is an invasive species that is native to Indo-Pacific. The presence of the fish in the Atlantic and Caribbean is a growing problem for native species. Since the Lionfish is not native to these waters, they have very few predators. The fish is a carnivore that feeds on small crustaceans and juvenile reef fish like snapper, grouper, and just about every other tropical fish that we hope to find on the reefs. In most areas that we have traveled like the Bahamas and Belize, spear fishing of the Lionfish is strongly encouraged. The bonus is that the Lionfish is very tasty! It has a delicate white filet that is as delicious as anything you will find on the reef. They taste even better knowing that removing them from the reef is helpful for the environment.
The challenge is that the Lionfish has nasty, venomous spines. If you are unfortunate enough to be pricked by one of these spines, the sting is painful. Information that I have read makes the point that the sting is painful but not deadly. It is probably best not to test this theory.
There are several approaches to safely spearing Lionfish. Most rely on specialized containers to place the fish while it is still on the spear so it is not necessary to contact the fish. This approach still requires you to handle the fish at a later time to remove that spines and prepare the fish for eating. The spines remain venomous even after the fish has died so it is possible to be stung hours later when cleaning the fish.
The approach that I prefer is to cut away the spines of the Lionfish before removing the fish from the spear. I always spear fish with a Hawaiian sling. The handle on the sling and the barbed spear work well together to enable safe handling of the fish. First of all, I try to shoot the fish right behind the head where the body is firm. I make sure the spear goes through the fish with the barb exposed on the other side. I then put the shaft of the spear back through the hole in the handle so that the handle pins the Lionfish against the barb of the spear. I also swim with heavy gardening scissors clipped to a lanyard on my swim suit or hanging over the side of the dinghy. With the Lionfish safely pinned between the Hawaiian sling handle and spear barb, I cut away the venomous spines in the dorsal, anal, and pectoral fins. In fact, I cut away everything including the tail just to be safe. I can then safely remove the harmless Lionfish from the spear into a bucket or catch bag.
With the Lionfish pinned between the shaft barb and handle, the venomous spines can be cut away
It is worth mentioning that the Lionfish is one of the easiest fish to spear. They basically sit in one place and do not move unless you shoot and miss. So take your time to aim and shoot at very close range.