Don't Think they're a Problem in bermuda... THINK AGAIN!!!
LIONFISH ARE HERE AND HERE TO STAY. IT'S UP TO US TO FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH OF A PROBLEM THEY WILL BE.
Everyday we get more and more reports of lionfish on our reefs. They are in great numbers on our deeper reef and now they are showing up inshore and in the fish nursery grounds. They are eating our juvenile fish. This is a huge problem. Scientists believe the lionfish invasion stands to be the worst marine invasion in history. The most important message we need to get across here is that we are stuck with Lionfish forever and that if we do not try to manage this problem we are likely to experience dramatic ecological degradation of our reefs. Our reefs provide us with recreation, food, protection from erosion and money. A recent study from the dept. of Environmental Protection postulated that our reefs are worth over $700 million annually, which is aprox, 12% of our GDP. These fish threaten our culture, environment, economy and our existence as an island!!!
THE good news IS... LION FISH TASTE GREAT AND there are practical solutions to reducing their numbers. "EAT'EM TO BEAT'EM"
Help us change the mindset in Bermuda to incorporate Lionfish into local menus and have it targeted by commercial and recreational fishermen. We can essentially eat them to reduce their numbers. It's worked before. We ate the Nassau Grouper (Hamlet) in such large numbers that they no longer exist in Bermuda's waters. Every time you are at a restaurant, grocery store or buying fish from your roadside fisherman, please ask for lionfish. If we build up enough demand, the fishermen will target them. We need to act now. The Government has recently allowed the capture of lionfish as a by-catch in the lobster pots so come September (start of lobster season) we should have a good number of lionfish available for sale. Let's show the fishermen that we support their efforts and that we are willing to buy them.
