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Field to Table: Shooting (Delicious) Lionfish to Protect our Reefs

Want to do this yourself? Talk to Brady Hale at Ocean Strike Team, and tell him Ian sent you: https://oceanstriketeam.org/ Also, a huge thanks to Niuhi Dive Charters (http://www.niuhidivecharters.com) and Sake Cafe (http://www.sakecafepensacola.com). Lionfish are a scourge on reef habitats in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico from the eastern coast of South American as far north as New York. They are a species native to the Indian Ocean and Polynesia, and in their native habitat they have competition and predators, and exist as a balanced part of the ecosystem. In American waters, they have no natural predators at all, and their voracious appetites and rapid reproduction rate have caused them to multiply exponentially since they were first released off the Florida coast in the 1980s. One of the key strategies that has been successful in starting to control their population has been hunting by human recreational and commercial divers. Fortunately, lionfish are in fact delicious eating. They give a flaky, white meat that is quite mild in flavor, with no "fishiness" at all. Whether battered and fried, grilled for fish tacos, or prepared as traditional sashimi, they make a fantastic meal. And so, when I wanted to do another "Field to Table" type video with a different feel from last year's Texas hog hunt, lionfish were a perfect prey. I should note that while lionfish do have 13 venomous spines, they are neither potentially fatal nor do they carry any risk form eating at all. Like a rattlesnake, the spines must break the skin to inflict injury. If you are stung, the venom is very painful, but not life-threatening (with the caveat that diving is inherently dangerous, and getting stung underwater presents a great opportunity to do something stupid the will kill you). Working with Brady, Adam, and Captain Andy, we spent several days on Pensacola Bay learning how to use the pole spear and Zookeeper to effectively kill and safely handle the lionfish.

English
  • Originally Aired August 19, 2021
  • Created September 28, 2021 by
    TVDB-Editor123
  • Modified September 28, 2021 by
    TVDB-Editor123