Lionfish Derby

 Spear vs Spine: Barbadian Lionfish Derby

Just around the corner on Saturday May 24th is a lionfish derby right here in Barbados!

Who? Coastal Zone Management Unit in collaboration with many sponsors and friends

What?  Lionfish derby and cookoff

Why? To: increase awareness on these invasive and predatory creatures including how to handle and cook them; increase efforts on culling to lessen their numbers and thus impacts on coral reefs and associated species, fisheries and tourism

Where? Island wide diving except no spearing in Folkestone Marine Park followed by weigh in and cook off at Harbour Lights, Bay Street

When? May 24th, 2014 Sunrise to Sundown with weigh in starting at 12pm followed by a 1pm cookoff

What is a lionfish?

Lionfish are members of the scorpionfish family native to the Indo-Pacific but now found in many other waters including the Caribbean. They are voracious predators that reproduce year-round and have venomous spines which if not handled properly can inflict harm (apply hot water if this does happen!)

The Pterois volitans species of lionfish

What is a derby and why are we having one?

A derby is a large scale culling event where divers and fishers will compete to catch as many of these predatory fish as possible.
We are usually taught that something of this sort would be frowned upon in conservation but due to the invasive nature, reproductive ability and absence of natural predators of the lionfish, a drastic measure such as ongoing derbies are needed to increase efforts to reduce these fish. 

Details of the derby: 

Teams will go out from sunrise to 12 pm where fish will be weighed in, followed by a 1pm cookoff by divers and some of the island's top chefs; Marco Festini-Comer of Daphne’s Restaurant, Danny Oshea of Mojos restaurant, Renrick Williams of Bajan Boyz Entertainment, Henderson Butcher of Divi Southwinds and Oliver Hinds of the Waves Hotel. There will also be an educational booth with safety demonstrations on handling of the fish as well as a first aid station if needed. 

Prizes to be won include a sling spear from Hazell's Water World, vouchers for a cruise on the Jolly Roger ship, an afternoon dive from Dive High Tide Watersports, a $500 value prize from Eat Street & Co., lionfish prints and more!

If interested in being part of a team, there will be a captain's meeting on Thursday 15th May, 2014 at 7pm at the Fisheries Division where at least one member from each team must be present. 

Check out the Lionfish Barbados Facebook page, contact me for more information on the event, to sign up and receive liability forms and waivers and keep an eye out for information in the newspapers, on radio stations and tv like this article: http://www.barbadostoday.bb/2014/05/07/lionfish-derby-cook-off/

Hope to see you on Saturday 24th May at the lionfish derby where you can sample some of this delicious fish and have a great day!

Nikola*

The invasive lionfish

Lionfish: Giant African snails of the sea? (Or Worse?!)

Some fun facts about these beautiful creatures:
Lionfish belong to the Scorpion fish family and are ambush predators (they sit and wait which also means that they will not generally swim away from you and are relatively easy to shoot).

There are two reported species of lionfish; of which one, the red lionfish (Pterois volitans in case you were itching to know the scientific name) was first reported in November 2011 in Barbadian waters. We were pretty much doomed as we had invasions coming to our waters from both the North and the South so it was only a matter of time as there was no stopping the lionfish movements in the currents. 

So why are we so worried about these beauties? (Lionfish 101):

• They become sexually mature in less than a year
• They reproduce every 4 days throughout the year and a female can spawn over 2 million eggs/year (that's a lot of babies!)
• They have little to no natural predators in the sea (but have been found in the stomachs of snapper and grouper). We, humans are their main predator; usually a bad thing when humans are another species main predator but in this case, they are taking over (a little more information on their ecology will help you to understand why this is bad).
• These species have been known to consume up to 70 species of fish, many of which are recreationally and commercially important. Without these fish, the already poor state of our reefs will suffer further which has implications for fisheries and tourism and thus you! On the flip side, these species can create greater tourism as divers love to see their beauty both in their natural habitat and in the aquarium trade (always two sides to a story).
• They possess venomous spines which can cause stings and reactions in humans so take care when handling and cooking (Yes, we encourage you to eat them; many fishers and locals say they taste "sweet fuh days" so time to get them on our menus and serve as a delicacy like other places in the world). 

So now that you have taken a short course on lionfish, take a breath and find out what you can do to help. 

Check out Lionfish-Barbados on fb* and look out for the island's first lionfish derby coming up in the middle of this year, followed by a weigh-in, talks to increase education and awareness on handling and cooking, how to make your own catching unit followed by a cook-off and tasting!

Some people do not agree with this large-scale culling event but in the case of the invasive lionfish, often this is the most successful solution before it is too late (would love a challenge if you feel differently). Many of the island's dive shops, fishers and locals have already been playing their part by killing the fish and either leaving them on the reefs or cutting off the spines and cooking them up on return to land. We urge you to do the same! 

So a quick recap: high numbers of lionfish = less fish for fishermen= less local fish for you= lower food security= higher import bills = even unhealthier reefs= lower tourism= bad (hopefully you get the gist!)

So if you see a lionfish out swimming or diving, enjoy their beauty, take a photo and if you have the correct materials, the best course of action is to kill the fish and leave it on the reef. However, wouldn't it be great to have lionfish on many of the restaurant menus?

Stay tuned for more coming your way and email us at marine-conservation@bethechangebarbados.org or check us out on Fb*,

Nikola*