Lionfish Assault the Gulf
(See video at bottom of story about how to fillet a lionfish)
Remember the urban myth that there were giant alligators in New York City’s sewers because parents flushed their kid’s baby alligators down the toilet? Well, down south we’ve created an even scarier story. Scarier because ours is true. Instead of flushing our feared predator down the toilet, we merely dumped them out of our aquariums into the Atlantic. Probably started near Miami in the late ‘70’s or early ‘80’s. Our feared predator? A 12” fish that’s really pretty. Now what’s so scary about that, you ask? Three things. They have no known natural predators in the Gulf. They eat all other fish near them, especially young fish. And last, but certainly not least, in the Gulf and Atlantic, they breed ten times faster than roaches.
Put all three together, and you get a fish that quickly overpopulates, then eats everything else that swims. These little rascals can devastate a fish population faster than you can say invasive species.
A Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) volunteer measures lionfish at the derby in Long Key. Photo credit: Celia Hitchins for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Although the lionfish invasion started in the Atlantic and next spread to the Caribbean, it has now made it’s way into the Gulf. They are traveling west from the Keys and have made it as far as southwest Louisiana.
What exactly is a lionfish? They’re a striped fish native to the Western Pacific. Evidently they have natural predators there. They are between 3” and 16” in length. Their fins are very exaggerated and ornamental, which is where most of their beauty comes from. Because of their beauty, they’re popular aquarium fish. But don’t get too close to their fins. They contain spines that have a toxin that can make you sick or kill you. Most of the lionfish found in the Atlantic and Gulf are of a species whose venom isn’t deadly, unless you’re allergic. But some species found in the Caribbean have a much deadlier toxin than can kill humans or leave permanent injuries.
Those spines are one of the main reasons lionfish don’t have enemies here. “They have spines on top, on bottom, and at their front and rear,” said Tom Jackson, Research Fisheries Biologist with NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center. Tom has long known about lionfish, having had them in his aquarium when he was growing up in Texas. Now he investigates them in an effort to find a way to control their population.
“Lionfish are still one of the top ten best selling aquarium fish. And there are no regulations on their sale! The problem with them is that once they mature, they will eat every other fish in an aquarium,” said Tom. When that happens, the owners usually decide to get rid of them. This is what scientists like Tom think led to their introduction into the Atlantic off Miami.
What can we do to stop their spread? First would be to stop selling them for aquariums so no more will be dumped into the Gulf. After that, there isn’t a comprehensive plan. An effort at local intervention is being made in the Florida Keys. Karrie Carnes of The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) says that FKNMS and the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) have organized Lionfish Derbies. These derbies are fishing tournaments in which lionfish are taken by nets, spears or slurp guns by scuba divers, snorkelers or swimmers.
Each lionfish caught in the derby was weighed as part of a lionfish data collection effort. Photo credit: Celia Hitchins for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Divers successfully removed 531 invasive lionfish on May 14, during the Second Annual Florida Keys Lionfish Derby Series in Long Key. Ten teams of divers competed for $3,350 in cash and prizes in the categories of most, largest and smallest lionfish. Team “Strategery” of Key Largo netted $1,000 for most lionfish with their haul of 158 fish collected in the single day event. Team “Full Circle” of Islamorada, won $500 for largest lionfish with a 14-inch fish, while Team “Key Lime Good Time” of Miami took home $500 for the smallest lionfish at 2.5 inches. The Long Key derby was sponsored by the City of Layton and Divers Direct.
The remaining 2011 lionfish derbies are scheduled August 20 and Nov. 5 in Key Largo and Key West respectively. Teams of up to four divers may register at www.reef.org/lionfish/derbies.
Please report any lionfish sighting to www.nas.er.usgs.gov/SightingReport.aspx.
Does Anyone Have Paul Prudhomme’s Phone Number?
NOAA Fisheries is also trying to promote lionfish as a consumable fish. Despite their spines, their flesh is good to eat, with a buttery flavor. The only poison in them is contained in the spines, so anyone trying to filet one should clip their spines off first. Evidently, NOAA hopes they’re tasty enough to generate a large demand, which will result in overfishing. That would be the first known case of NOAA Fisheries promoting overfishing. Gulfscapes recommends that NOAA Fisheries retain Paul Prudhomme, noted New Orleans chef, to whip up a blackened lionfish dish. Paul’s blackened redfish recipe was so popular in the 1980’s that it lead to overfishing to such a degree that commercial fishing for redfish was banned by emergency federal regulations. We can only hope to be so lucky with lionfish!
Featured Lionfish Events:
Key West / November 5
Lionfish Derby for Divers
Teams of up to four divers compete for more than $3,300 in cash and prizes in the final of three 2011 lionfish derbies. Derby divers who successfully remove invasive lionfish from sanctuary waters can win for most, largest and smallest lionfish. The Lower Keys derby is held Hurricane Hole Marina, Key West. Visit REEF website to register; four-person team is $120, includes banquet tickets and a pair of puncture resistant gloves or a capture bag. 305-852-0030, alecia@reef.org
© 2011 Gulfscapes Magazine. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | To Purchase Use Email Gulfscapes | 361-548-6804
Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association restores fishing
Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association www.mbara.org
Photos by Carol and Bob Cox
Who doesn’t like a good reefer?! Or even better, a whole collection of them? There’s a good sized group of reefers in Mexico Beach, FL that everyone should know about. They’re the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association (MBARA) and they’re busy building artificial reefs to beef up the fish population.
Since the organization was formed in 1997, it has deployed over 150 reefs off the coast of Mexico Beach in northwest Florida. The cost of the deployed reefs is over $1 million. Not bad for a non-profit, all volunteer group. Yes, all volunteer. Nobody gets paid. And there’s a lot more to reef building than you think.
The MBARA not only has to locate an acceptable location for each new reef and get a permit, it also has to figure out what kind of design and material will enhance the reef’s growth. And since they obtain grant money from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, among others, they must inspect, monitor and report on the reefs after deployment.
And these aren’t your father’s artificial reefs, either. Although they still use some traditional reef materials, like old boats, they also use cutting edge technology. According to Reef Chiefs Carol and Bob Cox (so dubbed because they are both retired chief master sergeants from the Air Force), they are using some modern artificial reefs that are built to order. Carol says that their surveys of reefs help them create new, more effective designs. “A lot of the information we gather is used to determine new reef designs, to determine the stability and what kind of fish are attracted to the different structures. We want to find out what works. There have been failures in the past, like car tires, that we found out don’t work too good.”
One of their new reef designs is called an Ecosystem reef, which is a stack of discs that are embedded with limestone. Native Florida limestone is added to the structure because MBARA found out that creatures that help build up a reef, like sea whips, worms and corals, attach and grow faster to it. “Limestone is made from the sea bottom and has the same PH as the seawater so it’s better for the marine life,” explained Carol. “We just put the Ecosystems down and it was amazing how quickly they started attracting sea life. Florida Fish and Wildlife divers inspected one of the new units, and besides having a lot of juvenile snappers and groupers, it was loaded with black sea bass. They said they had never seen that many black sea bass in one place. We used to never see black sea bass around here but now we’re seeing quite a lot on the dives due to the structures we’ve put down. Fishermen are talking about it, too, saying they’re catching black sea bass like they’ve never caught before in our area. They’re a good eating fish. It makes them happy, especially when red snapper season is so short.”
Another reef design is the ARI which is a pyramid shaped structure, eight to ten feet high, embedded with Florida limestone. They are designed to sit with their base on the sea floor.
The MBARA also uses a reef design called a grouper module, which is a concrete rectangular structure that has either slits or holes in it for the fish to go in and out. This is intended to simulate natural reef ledges that grouper like to use as a habitat.
“We try to build what we think the fish is going to like, but it doesn’t always work out that way,” laughed Carol. “The ARI pyramid shapes are open on the bottom. In a few places, some of those were knocked over on their side when they were deployed, so the big opening is now like a cave. We found that the majority of fish gravitate to the ones that are knocked over. You go up to one and there will be ten triggerfish staring out at you. You never know what’s going to attract the most fish, so we play around and experiment with it.”
To qualify for grant money, the MBARA has to raise matching funds. Therefore the group has fundraisers. They sell memberships, reef charts, cookbooks, GPS cards with reef info, T-shirts and naming rights. Yes, just like sports stadiums, you can name a reef. You can even purchase a Memorial Reef that contains your dearly departed’s ashes. Nice way to remember an avid fishermen or sailor, and it comes with an underwater plaque. These are popular, with 37 named Memorial Reefs already having been deployed. Corporation have also sponsored reefs and get the naming rights.
The largest fundraiser is the annual Kingfish Tournament, which will take place this year on Saturday, August 27, 2011 at Mexico Beach Marina. Pre-registration is available online at their website. The tournament director is Dr. Ron Childs, who is also one of the founding directors of MBARA.
The MBARA has a whirlwind of activity going on at all times. How an all volunteer group gets so much done is amazing. This is certainly a group any of us can get behind and support. You can join and donate to the MBARA online. Doing so will let you proudly proclaim that you, too, are a reefer.
© 2011 Gulfscapes Magazine. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | To Purchase Use Email Gulfscapes | 361-548-6804
Categories: Featured story Tags: Artificial reef, fishing, fl, florida, mbara, mexico beach, Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association
Mississippi State record-breaking anglers announced
BILOXI, Miss. – As Labor Day weekend, the unofficial summer finale, is upon us the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) would like to congratulate Coast anglers who have set Mississippi recreational saltwater records this year. Twelve saltwater conventional tackle records have been approved by the Commission on Marine Resources (CMR) since the start of 2011. Photos courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
State record-breaking anglers:
Phillip King, Jr. of Ocean Springs set a new Mississippi recreational saltwater conventional tackle record with a Marbled Grouper weighing 12 pounds, 8 ounces.
Phillip King, Jr. of Ocean Springs set a new state record for Marbled Grouper with a 12-pound, 8-ounce fish on Dec. 3, 2010; the record was approved by the CMR in April.
Pete Atwood of Gulfport broke the state record for Spinycheek Scorpionfish with a 3-pound, 8.56-ounce fish on March 13.
Troy Helwig of Long Beach broke the state record for Greater Amberjack with a 114-pound, 3.2-ounce fish on March 18.
Cecily O’Brien of Pascagoula set the new state record with a 1-pound, 8.69-ounce Creolefish on May 8.
Stacy Combs of D’Iberville broke the state record for Bigeye Tuna with a 92-pound, 2.88-ounce fish on May 11.
Zach Joseph of Ocean Springs broke the state record for Bigeye Tuna with a 93-pound, 5.6-ounce fish on June 5.
Jacob Edwards-Faucette of Pascagoula broke the state record for Yellowtail Snapper with a 7-pound, 3.52-ounce fish on June 10.
Derrick Saucier of Pascagoula set the new state record for Scrawled Filefish with a 4.8-ounce fish on June 11.
Mike Salvetti of Ocean Springs broke the state record for Tilefish with a 14-pound, 8-ounce fish on June 12.
Eddie Kopszywa IV of Biloxi set the new state record for Belted Sandfish with a 1-ounce fish on July 3.
Jae’Von Riley of Moss Point broke the state record for Atlantic Cutlassfish with a 2-pound, 6.4-ounce fish on July 10.
David Kuehn of Gautier broke the state record for Whitespotted Soapfish with a 6.2-ounce fish on July 20.
Pete Atwood of Gulfport broke the Mississippi recreational saltwater conventional tackle record for Spinycheek Scorpionfish with a fish weighing 3 pounds, 8.56 ounces.
If you think you’ve hooked a record breaker, visit dmr.ms.gov to download an official state saltwater fish record application and a complete list of Mississippi Recreational Saltwater Fishing Records.
Troy Helwig of Long Beach broke the Mississippi recreational saltwater conventional tackle record for Greater Amberjack with a fish weighing 114 pounds, 3.2 ounces.
Cecily O’Brien of Pascagoula broke the Mississippi recreational saltwater conventional tackle record for Creolefish with a fish weighing 1 pound, 8.69 ounces.
Stacy Combs of D’Iberville broke the Mississippi recreational saltwater conventional tackle record for Bigeye Tuna with a fish weighing 92 pounds, 2.88 ounces.
Zach Joseph of Ocean Springs broke the Mississippi recreational saltwater conventional tackle record for Bigeye Tuna with a fish weighing 93 pounds, 5.6 ounces.
Jacob Edwards-Faucette of Pascagoula broke the Mississippi recreational saltwater conventional tackle record for Yellowtail Snapper with a fish weighing 7 pounds, 3.52 ounces.
Derrick Saucier of Pascagoula set a new Mississippi recreational saltwater conventional tackle record with a Scrawled Filefish weighing 4.8 ounces.
Mike Salvetti of Ocean Springs broke the Mississippi recreational saltwater conventional tackle record for Tilefish with a fish weighing 14 pounds, 8 ounces.
Jae’Von Riley of Moss Point broke the Mississippi recreational saltwater conventional tackle record with an Atlantic Cutlassfish weighing 2 pounds, 6.4 ounces.
David Kuehn of Gautier broke the Mississippi recreational saltwater conventional tackle record with a Whitespotted Soapfish weighing 6.2 ounces.
Categories: Fishing, MS, Regional Press Releases Tags: anglers, fishing, mississippi, ms, records
