OMG! Look at this Lion I caught!!!!

[MikeS]

Guy's I seriously doubt wether the lion fish will have any effect on the fish population at all. Lion fish are in abundance on our coastline and can be cught in rockpools on most beaches. The chances of getting stung by one are also less likely. Most Crayfisherman use gloves when diving anyway.

the problem is that it is a non-native species to those waters, and will potentially outcompete other native predators, damaging their populations and affecting the food chain. You don't have to look far to find many examples of this around the world. Feral pigs in Australia, Russian thistles across the midwest of the United States, ect.

In my own state, we have a good example of exactly that, and it is also a fish...the walleye. Walleye are not native to this state, but appeared here in the early sixties, most theories point to a "bucket biologist", or somebody who transplanted a small number of them from out of state into the upper Platte drainage. They are very successful predators and have in the last 40 years managed to spread statewide, and have greatly reduced or even eliminated trout populations in many bodies of water. Not only do they compete for available food, but they also prey on juvenile trout, so the damage to the trout populations is two-fold. There is a resevoir about 100 miles south of me that was once reguraded as one of the best trout fisheries in the state as late as the late 70's...now if somebody catches a trout there it makes local news...:lol: But it's awesome walleye fishing...

Our Game and Fish department here hasn't tried to eradicate walleye, rather they manage and contain them (mostly because they are a very desireable game fish). They stock most walleye waters with lots of trout, and if they show up somewhere where they were not before, they take more drastic measures, especially if populations of cutthroat trout are threatened. Case in point, a non-native fish can quickly threaten native ones...

Krish, not sure how it works in the Bahamas, but if you have a Game and Fish, or similar angency that regualtes and manages hunting and fishing, you should contact them and see what their policy is reguarding these fish. There are some fish here in Wyoming that G&F requests that anglers destroy upon catching, and report the location of where you caught that fish. There may be a similar policy in effect in your area reguarding lionfish or other non-native species...

MikeS

 

[MikeS]

oh, I forgot another very good example of an invasive, non-native species impacting the oceans....calupera algea in the Mediterranean and off the coast of California....non-native species can have disasterous results on the existing ecosystem

MikeS

 

[Krish]

Thanks for the reply Mike...Very informative

Krish, not sure how it works in the Bahamas, but if you have a Game and Fish, or similar angency that regualtes and manages hunting and fishing, you should contact them and see what their policy is reguarding these fish. There are some fish here in Wyoming that G&F requests that anglers destroy upon catching, and report the location of where you caught that fish. There may be a similar policy in effect in your area reguarding lionfish or other non-native species...

Yeah, we have something like that here. The thing I'd say they mostly enforce is the crawfish situation. If you are caught with crawfish in your possesion outside of the crawfish season, they will not hesitate to confiscate your boat and fine you. Same goes for having in your possession, crawfish under the legal size during the open season. They do a lot to protect crawfish here, but do little about anything else. I guess they don't really feel threatened by a new spicies being introduced into our waters because if they did, then they would enforce the laws. They are going to wait until it becomes a problem to do something about it, which may be too late. Also, to even speak to someone who could help in this area, is a waste of time in most cases. You never get through to talk to someone with out having to go through so many channels. I'll see what we can come with though...

 

[MikeS]

I guess they don't really feel threatened by a new spicies being introduced into our waters because if they did, then they would enforce the laws. They are going to wait until it becomes a problem to do something about it, which may be too late. Also, to even speak to someone who could help in this area, is a waste of time in most cases. You never get through to talk to someone with out having to go through so many channels. I'll see what we can come with though...

That's too bad...and that kind of suprises me, I, like you, live in an area that relys heavily on tourisim (Yellowstone National Park), and our Game and Fish do all they can to preserve our wildlife in the most pristine state they can...suprised the Bahamas are not more proactive....

MikeS

 

[Krish]

That's too bad...and that kind of suprises me, I, like you, live in an area that relys heavily on tourisim (Yellowstone National Park), and our Game and Fish do all they can to preserve our wildlife in the most pristine state they can...suprised the Bahamas are not more proactive....

MikeS

Yep...They have the wrong people in power IMO, and also, the country is too small where either everyone knows everyone or you know someone who knows someone (hope I didn't loose you ) So basically, you can get away with a lot here and not get into trouble which is why things are the way they are. Andrew said he made a few calls which I will wait to see what the outcome of that is. Maybe they don't know about the issue and will do something about it. I sure hope they surprise me with that

 

[DisturbedReefer]

Wow Krish,
That's a great looking lion from what we can see of it. Hurry up and take some more pictures. My Radiata is still doing great, and the other one that the LFS has been promising me for 6+ months is in and doing well also. I won''t take that one home until it is eating frozen foods though. Rather odd that big boy was out in your waters, but they are very addaptive as evidenced by the ones out in the Atlantic. Give us some more pics, it looks like a beauty

 

[jesseb]

escapee from atlantis perhaps?

 

[Jiddy]

Good Read

http://www.oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/stories/lionfish/lion03_blame.html

 

[Krish]

Wow Krish,
That's a great looking lion from what we can see of it. Hurry up and take some more pictures. My Radiata is still doing great, and the other one that the LFS has been promising me for 6+ months is in and doing well also. I won''t take that one home until it is eating frozen foods though. Rather odd that big boy was out in your waters, but they are very addaptive as evidenced by the ones out in the Atlantic. Give us some more pics, it looks like a bea

No problem Todd...I have to run up to Andrews house at some point to pick up my bucket so I'll see if I can shoot a few closeups for ya

escapee from atlantis perhaps?

LOL...I don't think so. I believe all of their lions are the red striped ones. Whatever it is he was no escapee from my net-ee

Good Read

http://www.oceanservice.noaa.gov/edu...n03_blame.html

Thanks for that link Jiddy.

 

[Jiddy]

Basically they are blaming you Krish, i had no choice but to report you, sorry bud

 

[Krish]

Basically they are blaming you Krish, i had no choice but to report you, sorry bud

Thanks no problem man...

 

[Jiddy]

Ill take the lion, just ship him up here!

 

[Krish]

Ill take the lion, just ship him up here!

ROFL! If I send him to you, you may get tired of him and get tempted to throw him in the water up that way then the cycle starts all over again

 

[Jiddy]

LoL, considering im the only reefer in the state id be busted,lol

 

[Krish]

I guess Andrew will update things here later. From what I understand from what he told me, the dept. of fisheries wants to kill the lion and send it to N. Carolina to do geneticc testing on it to see if they are strains coming from their coast line or Florida. I was kinda busy and didn't get the whole story, but he said he'd update things here

 

[ethanriley]

As Krish said spoke to the guy at the Ministry of Fisheries today. They indicated that this is the third sighting in eight months, but the first where the fish is actually available for identification. He said that the ministries position is much the same as the folks along the Florida and Eastern Atlantic Coast that monitoring and control is all they can put in place. He says "the experts" forecast that because of the fact that the lion has no predators in the Atlantic and with the abundance of food available to them that they expect them to spread throughout the Caribbean before the end of the year. Interestingly enough he is of the opinion that irresponsible hobbyists is the least likely cause of the proliferation, but rather is caused more prominnently by boats expelling theire bilge water coming from one body of water to another. He requested me to turn over the fish so that they can send tissue samples to Carolina to determine if in fact the strain of lion off the Atlantic Coast is directly related to those here in our region. One of the greatest concerns he had was the depth of water that Krish found the lion in as in his opinion they are not typically found in such shallow waters. Going on line last night I found little to support his theory as lion's appear to be found at a broad range of depths. In closing he said that the minsitry had issued a public warning on the presence of the fish around the time of the first sighting in "The Narrows" which is a narrow cut of water at the Eastern end of Paradise Island. They will issue a new one with this new sighting! Some public warning, even Krish and I hadn't heard it and something like that would have probably caught our attention. Anyhow what do you guys think should I give it to them for tissue samples or let it be happy in my tank?:badgrin: Also since it isn't an indigenous species he indicated that I/we could begin harvesting them for potential retail trade:shock:

 

[Krish]

Also since it isn't an indigenous species he indicated that I/we could begin harvesting them for potential retail trade

So does that mean I can catch all the lionfish I want and send them to all of my RF buddies without getting a nice fine slapped on me? If so, then I will make as many RF members here as happy as I can with sending them free lionfish

 

[ethanriley]

LOL Yeah I agree Krish he says they can issue a licence releasing from the size and catch weight limits. I think the biggest hurdle will be the permissions to get it into the US.

 

[ethanriley]

Besides Atlantis doesn't have any right now and I am sure we could send them a few NOT FOR FREE LMAO

 

[ethanriley]

Incidentally though Atlantis pumps fresh salt water constantly from the Ocean they have a Chlorine destruction unit that the return back to the ocean returns thorugh ensuring that no fish larvae and or parasites or protozoa is returned back to the environment.