What do lionfish eat?

By | |
2 Comments
What do lionfish eat

So what do lionfish eat? Very sadly they are voracious predators and can eat an enormous number of different marine creatures. Pretty much they will eat anything they can get in their mouth, about half the length of their body, which includes over 70 different fish, invertebrates and molluscs. Here is a list, which isn’t an exhaustive list, of what lionfish will eat: Grouper Snapper Parrotfish Sea Bass Grunts Damselfish Clownfish Basslets Gobies Blennies Wrasse Cardinalfish … Continue reading →

How many lionfish have I caught?

By | |
2 Comments

So far I have caught a grand total of 10,874 lionfish Lionfish came to Grand Cayman in 2009 and we spotted our first one here in September of that year. However, I didn’t start recording my kills until 17th June 2010. In August 2012 I bought my own small boat so we could go out lionfish hunting on our days off. Sadly at the end of 2018 I sold the boat so the number of … Continue reading →

Lionfish reproduction

By | |
Comments Off on Lionfish reproduction
Lionfish reproduction

Lionfish Reproduction Lionfish truly are an amazing invasive species. In their Pacific home waters over thousands of years their numbers have been kept under control as part of the natural balance of nature on the reef. However, in the Atlantic and Caribbean it is lionfish reproduction that is one of the main reasons why lionfish are taking over. In the Caribbean in particular they breed all year around and they are sexually mature after just … Continue reading →

Are lionfish poisonous?

By | |
Comments Off on Are lionfish poisonous?
Are lionfish poisonous?

Are lionfish poisonous? This is a very easy question to answer. The answer is NO, lionfish are not poisonous. A poison is something that must be either breathed in, eaten, swallowed or absorbed. So if lionfish are not poisonous – what are they? They are venomous. Venom is a form of toxin secreted by an animal for the purpose of causing harm to another. Venom must be injected into the other animal by spines (lionfish), … Continue reading →

Lionfish hunting. My top 15 hunting tips

By | | , ,
3 Comments
Top 15 lionfish hunting tips

I have been catching lionfish since 2009. I do this from dive boats and some shore diving. The majority of the time I use air (sometimes Enriched Air) and I mainly only dive to approximately 60 feet where the mini wall is here in Cayman. Having caught over 10,000 lionfish, these are my top 15 tips for catching lionfish with a pole spear. Lionfish hunting. My top 15 hunting tips SAFETY FIRST.  Go with a buddy … Continue reading →

Do sharks eat lionfish? They do now!

By | |
Comments Off on Do sharks eat lionfish? They do now!
Reef sharks may be catching on to hunting lionfish

Simon Morley a local diver and photographer in Grand Cayman went on a dive this week on the East End of Grand Cayman with Tortuga Divers to the deep wall site “Split Rock”. This is a beautiful site where a number of Grey Caribbean reef sharks are regularly spotted. Simon took this photo just seconds after a lionfish swam by and was snatched up by one of the sharks. “From what I saw of the … Continue reading →

Lionfish stings – first aid and treatment

By | | ,
3 Comments

It is said by those who know personally, that it really is not very nice at all to be stung by a lionfish. I have seen a number of my colleagues get stung and they were in agony. Their faces were contorted in pain. The lionfish venom itself is contained in glandular tissues that are located in the grooves of the spines. As the spine enters a victim the sheaf is pushed back which allows … Continue reading →

Lionfish invasion. How they took over the Caribbean and beyond

By | |
2 Comments
Lionfish invasion. How they took over the Caribbean and beyond

I live in Grand Cayman (The Cayman Islands) and we spotted our first lionfish on East End where I live in September 2009. 24 years prior to that in 1985 the first lionfish was spotted off of Dania Beach in Florida. There are 3 often-told stories or theories of how lionfish found their way into the waters around Florida, which are as follows: The deliberate release of lionfish by owners from their fish tanks at … Continue reading →

How to make a lionfish container

By | |
Comments Off on How to make a lionfish container
How to make a lionfish container

  Before the zookeeper and commercially made lionfish containers came onto the market, we all started by making our own. If you have money to spend you cannot beat the zookeeper, but if you have more time on your hands than money then here is my step by step on how to make a lionfish container. Important features of a good lionfish container Puncture proof Strong and sturdy One way entry for lionfish which is … Continue reading →

Restaurants that serve lionfish in Grand Cayman (East End & North Side)

By | |
Comments Off on Restaurants that serve lionfish in Grand Cayman (East End & North Side)
Restaurants that serve lionfish in Grand Cayman

Lionfish arrived in Grand Cayman in 2009 and it did not take long for local restaurants to start serving this sustainable choice of fish on their menus. That’s because lionfish are absolutely delicious to eat. The white flaky meat is mild, delicate, tender and buttery. Restaurants love to have lionfish on their menu.  It’s abundantly available, and fresh off the divers spear TODAY. No need for ordering from overseas, or ordering it in big frozen packs, … Continue reading →