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DIVE PROVO'S LIONFISH CAPTURE
PROGRAM
Indo-pacific Red Lionfish Lionfish (Pterois volitans) are a non-native invasive
species that have been documented along the entire US East Coast from Florida
through Massachusetts, east to Bermuda and south throughout the Bahamas and in
other Caribbean nations such
 as Turks and Caicos and Cuba. The expansion has
been extremely rapid and exponential in scope.
Lionfish are:• Voracious predators being shown to eat native fish and
crustaceans in large quantities. (Juvenile Nassau grouper have been found in
lionfish stomachs in the Bahamas)• Not known to have any native predators•
Equipped with venomous dorsal, ventral and anal spines, which deter
predators and can cause painful wounds in humans.• Capable of reproducing
year-round with unique reproduction mechanisms not commonly found in native
fishes• Relatively resistant to parasites, giving them another advantage
over native species• Fast in their growth, able to outgrow native species
with whom they compete for food and space.
How you can help:
- Start requesting Lionfish at your local restaurant.
- Join REEF
www.reef.org and help by donating money
to their research if you can or just by collecting fish data on your dives.
- Ask our staff to show you how to catch Lionfish and try
it yourself; it’s actually fun and quite addictive; it’s amazing how smart
some fish are!
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Although the majority of dives with Dive Provo
are made within a National
 Park where fishing is not allowed, Dive Provo has
permission from the Department of the Environment
and Coastal Resources to capture Lionfish on scuba using nets.
'The Dive Provo Staff will be happy to show you the easiest method of using the nets and bringing the fish to the surface. If you want to catch Lionfish in your buddy pairs after being shown, you are welcome to do this on subsequent dives.
You can also Earn your PADI Distinct Specialty as an Invasive Lionfish Tracker.
Lionfish are not poisonous, but the spines are
venomous and can cause a nasty sting if the skin is pierced. For this reason
we use special gloves and collecting bags.
 The staff do not hunt Lionfish whilst
guiding
a dive, but you may see pairs of staff in the water with the purpose of
catching Lionfish, most often on the afternoon dives. We also have some
local divers who come out to help control numbers at our dive sites.
Lionfish are good to eat and any fish caught are
either eaten or discarded if too small. Unfortunately the best we can hope
to do with this method is control numbers in the areas we dive. Eradication
is impossible until they become a prized commodity.
Image by Chris McCandlish |
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Reservations:800-234-7768
or Florida Office: 954-351-9771
Dive Provo On island: Phone: 649-946-5040, Fax 649-946-5936
E-mail diving@diveprovo.com |
