Shot off the Wakatobi islands in Indonesia. I found the lionfish pictured below ominously circling a ladder at the end of a pier. To capture this picture, I lowered myself onto the ladder rungs just above the water line. But I was careful not to loose my balance — lionfish have highly venomous spines! Stings are extremely painful, and can in extreme cases be fatal, particularly to children or the elderly.
However, these spines are only used for defence — they have other specialised methods to go on the attack. For one, they have specialised swim bladder muscles, which allow them to adjust the gas in these bladders, resulting in exceptional buoyancy control. After swimming close to their prey, they employ a unique hunting strategy; they blow jets of water! When these blasts of water hit the unsuspecting fish, it overwhelms their lateral line — the sensory organ used for detecting predators and other movement in the surrounding water. However -- even more extraordinary -- lionfish can hunt in 'packs'!
However, these spines are only used for defence — they have other specialised methods to go on the attack. For one, they have specialised swim bladder muscles, which allow them to adjust the gas in these bladders, resulting in exceptional buoyancy control. After swimming close to their prey, they employ a unique hunting strategy; they blow jets of water! When these blasts of water hit the unsuspecting fish, it overwhelms their lateral line — the sensory organ used for detecting predators and other movement in the surrounding water. However -- even more extraordinary -- lionfish can hunt in 'packs'!
Hunting in “packs”
A lone lionfish will ask another lionfish to a cooperative hunt by swimming up and moving its fins and tail in a particular manner, similar to the honey bee’s “dance”. Often, the other lionfish seemingly accepts this hunting invitation; it moves its own fins in response and then they swim off together in search of prey.
Having found suitable prey (such as a school of smaller fish), the lionfish - usually in groups of two to four - trap the prey by encircling it and extending their fan-like fins. Surrounded by lionfish on all sides, the target fish are unable to escape, and the lionfish simply take turns darting into the middle, picking off the fish one by one. What is truly amazing is that a lionfish will engage in cooperative hunting with any other lionfish - regardless of species (there are at least 12 different lionfish species)!
An invasion of the hunters…
This exceptional hunting ability has caused quite some havoc. Lionfish are one of the most aggressive invasive species on the planet. Since their appearance in the Caribbean and the East Coast of the United States in the 1980s, their numbers have steadily grown, and many believe them to now be impossible to eradicate! Here, the lionfish eat and breed like crazy, and as they aren’t native to these waters, they lack natural predators.
Ironically, they might have been initially RELEASED into these waters because of they were too good at hunting! Because of their funky looks, lionfish were imported for the aquarium trade. However, the lionfish often gobbled up the smaller fish in their tanks. Exasperated owners likely released these fish back into the ocean… If they only knew what they were releasing!
The masters of destruction. Unlike other predators that relocate when prey is scarce, lionfish will keep hunting until the local reef populations go extinct! Even important key species such as the parrotfish aren’t immune. Parrotfish are particularly vital in that they eat algae off corals. When lionfish deplete these parrotfish populations, the coral can become overrun by algae and die.
Hunters become the hunted…
With fish populations and corals already in dangerous decline, this is a SERIOUS problem. So, what to do we do? We turn the hunters into the hunted — because lionfish are apparently really tasty!
I generally avoid eating meat due to its environmental impact — but this meat I will unabashedly savour. If I ever manage to hunt one down.. In contrast to most fish, which are caught by typical commercial fishing methods, lionfish have to be speared by divers. Fortunately, lionfish spearfishing competitions are becoming more and more popular, and they seems to be effectively reducing the lionfish population while helping local fish populations rebound.
…by training sharks
An even more crazy idea involves training sharks to eat lionfish! Local sharks don’t naturally feed on these foreign invaders. But some divers have started feeding lionfish to sharks in the hopes that they will also develop a taste for the delicious lion fish meat. It is unclear if this experiment is working, but there have been encouraging sightings - sharks catching lionfish on their own. However, this experiment could potentially put divers at risk; the sharks may start to associate humans, as well as lionfish, with the prospect of a tasty snack!
So, you want to help save the planet?
Are you an adventurous danger seeker? Perhaps itching to unlatch your primal hunting instincts, but without the “Cecil the lion hunting guilt” - get spearfishing the lions of the sea! (It’s probably more dangerous than the 'canned hunting' of real lions anyway..)
Or perhaps you turn to food when face to face with of all the worlds problems? Perfect! Just find yourself a lionfish serving restaurant and pat yourself on the back - you are helping save the planet - one tasty lionfish meal at a time! =D
Further Reading:
On being the “ultimate invader”
On their hunting strategy
On cooperative hunting
On hunting and eating lionfish
Lionfish derbies
Lionfish recipes
With fish populations and corals already in dangerous decline, this is a SERIOUS problem. So, what to do we do? We turn the hunters into the hunted — because lionfish are apparently really tasty!
I generally avoid eating meat due to its environmental impact — but this meat I will unabashedly savour. If I ever manage to hunt one down.. In contrast to most fish, which are caught by typical commercial fishing methods, lionfish have to be speared by divers. Fortunately, lionfish spearfishing competitions are becoming more and more popular, and they seems to be effectively reducing the lionfish population while helping local fish populations rebound.
…by training sharks
An even more crazy idea involves training sharks to eat lionfish! Local sharks don’t naturally feed on these foreign invaders. But some divers have started feeding lionfish to sharks in the hopes that they will also develop a taste for the delicious lion fish meat. It is unclear if this experiment is working, but there have been encouraging sightings - sharks catching lionfish on their own. However, this experiment could potentially put divers at risk; the sharks may start to associate humans, as well as lionfish, with the prospect of a tasty snack!
So, you want to help save the planet?
Are you an adventurous danger seeker? Perhaps itching to unlatch your primal hunting instincts, but without the “Cecil the lion hunting guilt” - get spearfishing the lions of the sea! (It’s probably more dangerous than the 'canned hunting' of real lions anyway..)
Or perhaps you turn to food when face to face with of all the worlds problems? Perfect! Just find yourself a lionfish serving restaurant and pat yourself on the back - you are helping save the planet - one tasty lionfish meal at a time! =D
Further Reading:
On being the “ultimate invader”
On their hunting strategy
On cooperative hunting
On hunting and eating lionfish
Lionfish derbies
Lionfish recipes