Going on a lion hunt, but I'm not afraid!

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Andyroo

Andyroo

Redtail Catfish
MFK Member
Apr 17, 2011
1,217
515
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MoBay, Jamaica
www.seascapecarib.com
Went for a little dive yesterday as part of our "Labour Day" holiday activities. Sank a marker buoy for the local Marine Park and had a little extra air to do some lionfish culling. Here's about 40 minutes work. Biggest two are about 11.5 or 12" long. That's a size 12 Haviana in the foreground for scale. We missed two >14"ers as air was getting low.

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So last night and this AM the cat(fish) and I went through what the web suggests is maybe $1000-1500 bucks worth in a Vancouver pet shop...

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And with a cup 'O Blue Mountain, for a breakfast that's.... priceless.
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Great work bubble blower!

Lionfish sure are tasty, can't wait to start spearing again, but then again what am i waiting for? Its already summer time!
 
alexpie001;5153907; said:
why did you kill them, are they an invasive there?
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Shot with a little Hawaiiana pole-spear, yes. We cheat as we do this on SCUBA, but the job is to remove them so the "sport" really doesn't come into it. Big & small they all get the point(s). A tasty breakfast is the bonus.
Yes, highly invasive. These are really the only bigger predator we regularly see on the reef these days, and little wrasses aren't nearly as dense as they were even a year ago. 3/4 Hr's work found/saw >20 animals (only 13 actually shot/caught) and I'd not seen one in the Caribbean prior to the summer of '08. The females literally ooze eggs as they come onto the boat. A pets (industry?) introduction, so be cautions about what you buy and don't be afraid to euthanize if you can't re-home. Nothing wrong with eating pets- just ask Gordon Ramsey.
 
They are not pets... their wild caught fish ;) And the taste great!
I know many people down here just net them and sell them to fish stores
 
Thats awesome. Gotta try spear fishing one day. Didn't see any lions on the reefs when I was in Jamaica.

Looks like a good breakfast though, had some of the best coffee in my life there. Wish I was there now...
 
Angry, here in Jamaica?? The guys in Negril go out culling a lot, so most of the well-dove reefs won't have very many, but the rest of the island is rife.

Grunt-king, there are some guys who collect for their personal tanks, but for some reason we're not exporting live. Juveniles are certainly plentiful. Bahamas would have that industry locked though- apparently they are absolutely packed with these things.
 
Yeah I was in Montego Bay about 2 years ago. Didn't see any, but then again it was a tourist tour thing.

By the way I LOVED it there can't wait to go back.
 
Ahhh that explains it. I'm a bit upset I didn't get to go fishing while I was there but they wanted me to charter a boat for myself. I love fishing but not for $800.

Hawaii this year in october, going out for some mahi mahi one day can't wait.
 
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