Lion Fish. A scary sounding name for a scary problem…In just a few years, this exotic, beautiful but poisonous fish is seemingly everywhere you look underwater.

A silent invasion has been taking place in our seas

In less than one generation, Lion Fish, which are native to the Pacific waters, have invaded the Atlantic waters; they seemed to have moved in to stay. I can still remember the very first time I encountered one of these in the sea, not an aquarium. It was while diving near a dock in the Bahamas one summer. I initially could not believe my eyes. It was beautiful but also I knew it shouldn’t be there, it was poisonous and I kept my distance.

At the time I concluded that someone must have had an aquarium and they tired of their Lion Fish and turned it loose…

But not long afterward, I encountered another, larger one. And then another…and then you’d hear of other divers and fisherman encountering them. You just knew that big trouble in a beautiful package had arrived; unwanted and reeking havoc on the already taxed resources.

Sadly, It reached a point where my children who used to jump off and swim around that same dock I had initially seen my first one at, were afraid to jump anymore. Afraid they would land on one and get stung.

If Lion Fish have anything to recommend them it is their tasty meat and their undeniable beauty, which has led many artists, including myself, to be compelled to put paint to paper.

Lion Fish now range from the mid-coastal area of the Eastern US through Bermuda and the Caribbean.

Having no natural predators in this region their population has exploded since the first sighting of them in Florida around the late 1980’s. If you go to reef.org they have an amazing year by year display that really shows you how these fish have spread. I have visited their sight often for reliable information on many fish and dive related topics and they are well worth a look.

Time to fight back against Lion Fish

Lucky for us once you get past the poisonous spines and learning to clean these beauties, their meat is a white, delicate tasting fish. Properly prepared it truly is a treat! I have had it myself, freshly fried, and it melted in my mouth it was so, so good. I also recently heard that there was a group of adventurous artists in the Eluethera area of the Bahamas making jewelry and art from the spines. Fishing tournaments and derbies are adding that sporting element many enjoy.

Anyone who enjoys the sea and cares about it’s future needs to get involved and help in the fight against this invasive and destruct
ive species. Any non-native species that gets a toe-hold in a new environment is a problem, but these need to be addressed now! Many new groups are getting involved in the fight. One new one that came to my attention is the Lion fish Foundation. They are so new that their website is currently under construction, but the spokesperson I spoke to very recently said it is only a  matter of a few weeks before they will be up, running and fighting the fight. Their mission is to “protect all fish Lion Fish eat and bring awareness to the underwater invasion”. A wonderful and worthwhile endeavor and one I will write on more in the near future.

I hope admiring their beauty via my painting or that of other talented artists is the only encounter you will have with these bundles of poisonous beauty. But if it isn’t, I hope it won’t be via a direct encounter while you are enjoying the saltwater–but rather on your dinner plate! Bon appetite!

This original watercolour is available for purchase at the Ebb Tide Gallery in Hope Town, Abaco. Check them out on Facebook