Lionfish are an invasive species, not native to the Caribbean, and have proven to be very destructive of marine life. They are a serious threat to the reef ecosystem. Lionfish are voracious eaters and are now one of the top predators on the reef. It has been reported that a lionfish can eat as many as 20 small fish in less than 30 minutes. There has been a very noticeable reduction in marine life since the arrival of lionfish in Belize, particularly among all the small critters that inhabit the reef. It would seem fair to accuse lionfish of genocide!
They were probably introduced by aquarium owners dumping them in the sea in Florida or the Bahamas. Lionfish were first detected in the western Atlantic Ocean in 1985 and since 2004 have spread exponentially across the Caribbean and into the Gulf of Mexico. A mature female releases as many as two million eggs a year!
Lionfish have no predators in Belize other than diver and reproduce all year long. Please consider signing up for a lionfish hunt. Lionfish are the only species that can be taken by spearfishing in Belize. Spearfishing lionfish helps protect the reef, it is fun, and they are delicious.
We do not allow our dive masters to hunt lionfish except when pre-assigned to lead a lionfish hunt. If the dive master is hunting lionfish – who is watching the divers? Safety is a real priority in our practices and not just a slogan. In addition, some guests come to see the beautiful underwater life in these waters and are offended by seeing lionfish being speared, which is another reason for keeping sight-seeing divers separate from lionfish hunters.
Our policy is that guests who want to do a lionfish hunt must sign up ahead of time so that we can arrange the necessary safety measures and we require a minimum of 2 lionfish hunters. First, we conduct a short training session for the guests at our dive center before the lionfish hunters even leave the dock. We boil water and carry several thermoses of boiling hot water as that is needed for treating any lionfish stings, in addition to carrying a first aid kit. While doing the lionfish hunt, our dive master carries the container to collect the lionfish (we do not feed them to sharks and eels and other fish underwater as that affects fish behavior) and our dive master puts the speared lionfish in the container rather than have the guest do it to reduce the chances of injury.
If you would like to read more about why you should not feed lionfish to sharks, please read this article.