Lionfish invading the Mediterranean

[Spearfishing Life]

I noticed the past months a sharp decline in the amount of lionfish in my area (tymbaki-matala, crete), have you noticed something similar?

It could be of course that my systematic cleaning of the area actually helps, or that something is troubling them. I did notice an increase in lagocephalus too. Little ones. Perhaps related? Can a lionfish eat a puffer and survive?

Another change is that the local lionfish don't seem to wander around anymore. They're now all hiding, even on calm sunny days with no waves.

Ηello man and happy new year.
I dont live in Crete i just visit from time to time.
Probably this time of the year they move to deeper waters where the water temp is more constant and doesnt have big differences from one day to another.When we went there, the only lionfish we found where down to 25-30m!!!

 

[Leander]

Ηello man and happy new year.
I dont live in Crete i just visit from time to time.
Probably this time of the year they move to deeper waters where the water temp is more constant and doesnt have big differences from one day to another.When we went there, the only lionfish we found where down to 25-30m!!!

Καλή χρονιά to you too

They definitely go deeper during winter. In the summer I saw them even right below the surface, almost at the beach. But last winter there were so many, I was taking 20-40 every week just in this area. So it feels odd. There's another hotspot east of here that I know of. Now that we can go fishing again without hiding in the shadows and feeling like a criminal, I plan to go there and have a look sometime soon.

 

[Spearfishing Life]

Καλή χρονιά to you too

They definitely go deeper during winter. In the summer I saw them even right below the surface, almost at the beach. But last winter there were so many, I was taking 20-40 every week just in this area. So it feels odd. There's another hotspot east of here that I know of. Now that we can go fishing again without hiding in the shadows and feeling like a criminal, I plan to go there and have a look sometime soon.

As soon as they allow us to change between municipalities i will arrange the 2nd Lionfish Removal in Greece probably in the Ierapetra area!

 

[PCaryotakis]

A few questions concerning LIon Fish.
1.) What happens to the spines if you cut them off in the water? Is there any danger that they wash up on shore for someone to step on?
2.) If the whole fish is left in the water? Is that a problem??
3.) Does anyone know for sure if the limit in Greece has been lifted??
4.) I'm looking for organized hunts in late May and early June in Greece. My family is a bit worried about my hunting lion fish alone from shore.

Hopefully this forum is not dead.

I saw my first lion fish swimming off of Monemvasia in September of 2023.
Beautiful, but just wrong!

I will look to start an exchange with some taverna's that already serve fish, but if a gyro spot has a deep fryer a Greek version of a Fish Taco or Psari Gyros sounds like a winner!! Given all other fish in Greece seem to be so expensive, lion fish could be a great source of protein. (Sad bonus for losing all the other sea life)

70 Euros per kilo ?? They will have a hard time managing to sell all the lion fish that should be killed.
Deeper nets and killing devices are needed, but, it's a lost cause right??

Greeks should get used to eating all they can catch.

 

[Leander]

A few questions concerning LIon Fish.
1.) What happens to the spines if you cut them off in the water? Is there any danger that they wash up on shore for someone to step on?
2.) If the whole fish is left in the water? Is that a problem??
3.) Does anyone know for sure if the limit in Greece has been lifted??
4.) I'm looking for organized hunts in late May and early June in Greece. My family is a bit worried about my hunting lion fish alone from shore.

Hopefully this forum is not dead.

I saw my first lion fish swimming off of Monemvasia in September of 2023.
Beautiful, but just wrong!

I will look to start an exchange with some taverna's that already serve fish, but if a gyro spot has a deep fryer a Greek version of a Fish Taco or Psari Gyros sounds like a winner!! Given all other fish in Greece seem to be so expensive, lion fish could be a great source of protein. (Sad bonus for losing all the other sea life)

70 Euros per kilo ?? They will have a hard time man

---

A few questions concerning LIon Fish.

1.) What happens to the spines if you cut them off in the water? Is there any danger that they wash up on shore for someone to step on?

They sink. So as long as you don't leave them right at the start of the beach, there shouldn't be a danger to humans. The venom is produced in glands between the skin that covers the spine, and the spine itself. Over time it will wash away when the fish is dead; no idea how long this will take. Just know that a spine cut from the fish will stillhave venom for 'some time', so don't leave them where people or animals like cats and dogs can get to them. If you cut them right after catching the fish, it'll be most probably over deeper water, rocks and boulders, so over there you shouldn't have to worry about it.

2.) If the whole fish is left in the water? Is that a problem??

I don't know what you mean. Like, not catching them? They will continue to breed and spread, consuming all the juvenile fish of other species as they go. When other species aren't available anymore they will provably prey on their own young until they too aren't available anymore, after which we will be left with shores hosting nothing but sea urchins. The other scenario would be, and this has been reported in their native areas, but now also in the US and last year also in Greece, that other species, mainly the Grouper (rofos) will start to recognize the lionfish as a possible prey. This alone should be a reason for a total ban on the hunting of groupers, like they have in France.

Or you mean when you kill the fish, and leave it? It will get eaten by the scavengers of the sea. Certain fish will prey on it, and should it sink to the bottom, then so will octopus, crab and fireworms.

3.) Does anyone know for sure if the limit in Greece has been lifted??

It was reported on a Greek fishing magazine/website, iirc something along the lines of 'boatandfishinggreece.com'. The article.kver there had links to the government website's article. Google will help you find it. Note that the limit is only lifted for the [problematic] invasive species or lionfish, lagocephalus (toxic, don't consume!), iirc germanos, and a few others

4.) I'm looking for organized hunts in late May and early June in Greece. My family is a bit worried about my hunting lion fish alone from shore.

Late May isn't possible. May is the month with a yearly total ban on spearfishing across all of Greece. The lionfish is *not* exempt from this. As for going alone: you shouldn't. Not if you love your life. Diving is a dangerous activity and any misyake has the potential to be fatal. Add to that the handling of wild animals whos stung is of such magnitude that it makes an adult man cry like a baby and you have a recipe for disaster. Also, use the right tools, so *no* normal speargun, but a spear with a trident, preferably a pole spear, and a pair of strong scissors, preferably EMT trauma shears, as those have a serrated edge that grips the spines.

Dimos, from the youtube channel spearfishing.life might be able to give more up to date information. He is a core figure in the fight against the lionfish and has hosted community lionfish hunts on multiple occasions.

>Deeper nets and killing devices are needed, but, it's a lost cause right??
Eventually nature will find a new balance. We might lose a few species, but that's how life works. The reason this issue is so bad is because *we* caused it, so it's morally wrong to just shrug the shoulders and move on. We have to try the hardest to fix what we break, and to learn from it for the next time. Nets don't catch them btw. There is someone on the internet who made a lionfish hunting robot through.

 

[Spearfishing Life]

A few questions concerning LIon Fish.
1.) What happens to the spines if you cut them off in the water? Is there any danger that they wash up on shore for someone to step on?
2.) If the whole fish is left in the water? Is that a problem??
3.) Does anyone know for sure if the limit in Greece has been lifted??
4.) I'm looking for organized hunts in late May and early June in Greece. My family is a bit worried about my hunting lion fish alone from shore.

Hopefully this forum is not dead.

I saw my first lion fish swimming off of Monemvasia in September of 2023.
Beautiful, but just wrong!

I will look to start an exchange with some taverna's that already serve fish, but if a gyro spot has a deep fryer a Greek version of a Fish Taco or Psari Gyros sounds like a winner!! Given all other fish in Greece seem to be so expensive, lion fish could be a great source of protein. (Sad bonus for losing all the other sea life)

70 Euros per kilo ?? They will have a hard time managing to sell all the lion fish that should be killed.
Deeper nets and killing devices are needed, but, it's a lost cause right??

Greeks should get used to eating all they can catch.

Hello man and happy new year!
I actually did organize the 2nd Lionfish Removal in Greece and specifically in the Ierapetra area with great success!!!
You can see the video of it in this link ->
Sadly after that came the Covid days and we where not allowed to organize it again for the following two years and after that due to no free time i never managed to organize the 3rd one...

Hopefully i will organize the 3rd one ever in Greece this year but the thing is spearfishing is not allowed in Greece during May...even if you are just removing invasive lionfish...at the same time 5kg per person/per day is the fish limit in Greece so when we did it....each one took more than 5kg at his own risk if he wanted to. I mean you are not allowed to overcome that limit by law even if its removing invasive species.
I will try to organize it in June probably somewhere in the Messinia area.
If you want you can send me an e mail so we can keep a contact and i can inform you about the details once it's organized!
E mail me at info@spearfishing-life.com and we ll be in touch!

Cheers!
Dimos

 

[PCaryotakis]

Hopefully a trap might be like this?? Deep water. Less bycatch.
https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/feb17/sanctuary-scientist-fights-invasive-lionfish.html
I don't want to be on a boat pulling up one of these with lots of wriggling lion fish.

Imagine if all the kalamarakia was replace with lionfish!

(I was hoping the just killing the smaller ones and leaving them was an ok practice. Teach others to like eating them!)

 

[Spearfishing Life]

Hopefully a trap might be like this?? Deep water. Less bycatch.
https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/feb17/sanctuary-scientist-fights-invasive-lionfish.html
I don't want to be on a boat pulling up one of these with lots of wriggling lion fish.

Imagine if all the kalamarakia was replace with lionfish!

(I was hoping the just killing the smaller ones and leaving them was an ok practice. Teach others to like eating them!)

There is no fishing method with less bycatch than spearfishing where you see and choose what to shoot so it is certainly the most selective.
During the 2 previous organized removals i brought multiple containers which where hanging on buoys and everyone was coming and putting their lionfish in.
Also we had Red Cross doctors at the scene and i made sure everyone had minimul interactions with the lionfish after shooting them.
Me and the guys that where helping out made sure to bring the fish to shore and handle them in general during the whole process.
I'm trying to make it as safe as possible for everyone!