Lionfish

Lionfish

Colourful tropical fish are fun to watch

in an aquarium or home fish tank.

But what happens when exotic fish are released

into the wild and start taking over the seas?

It sounds like science fiction

but exotic fish invasions are a real problem.

A popular aquarium species called the lionfish

has been found in increasing numbers in The Bahamas,

threatening to displace mative fish

and disrupt local fisheries.

Marina showing a lionfish

Lionfish eats young grunts, snapper, grouper, sea urchins...
and they don't have a natural predator in The Bahamas.
Lion fish spines are also venomous
- thought not fatal - to humans.
The stings are pretty poisonous and painful
if people touch the lionfish.
When the fish is dead it's not poisonous any more
so it's absolutely eatable.
The white meat is almost like
the meat of grouper by taste and texture
- rather flaky, a bit sweeter.
Delicious!
In Asia lionfish have been a delicasy for ages.

Marina showing how to clean lionfish
and take out the sharp fins

It is said that lionfish got to the Bahamian waters

by a fish farm nearby.

In 2004 the lionfish sighting was formally confirmed.

In the past 2 months they have increased exponentially

and lionfish can be observed all over

the Bahamian archipelago.

One way to save the reef ecosystem

is to educate people how to catch the lionfish

and to handle it

and to prepair it for food.
.

The lionfish come in different sizes
.

Filets of lionfish
.

Prepared lionfish in 2 ways
- added some salt & pepper and lime,

and lightly covered the filets with flour
.

Another way:

Added some salt, pepper & lime
.

Frying the filets in garlic oil
.

Almost ready
.

Frying the filets in oil
.

These ones almost ready as well
.

Delicious!
.