Lion Fish

[Ibirie]

Recently saw Andrew Zimmer's show in Jamaica where he went spearfishing for Lion Fish. Looked like he was out on a reef. I was curious if there and been many or any Lion Fish sightings near the cliffs. Also, would love to try Lion Fish. Is there any place in Negril that has it on the menu. Thanks!

[Kolya]

yes, they are along the cliffs too . . . plenty to be seen in among all the rocks and cracks and such . . . I saw several in a short swim from Home Sweet Home to Samsara.

[Mr. Twister]

They are everywhere. I intend on eating some in a few weeks.

Here is a thread I started a few weeks ago with lots of valuable information.

http://negril.com/forum/showthread.p...light=lionfish

[gerryg123]

If I'm not mistaken, there are more Lionfish than they're used to be .... right?

[Clarity]

Markus and I saw Lionfish when we were snorkeling off the cliffs at Xtabi.

I was tired of swimming and wanted to get out to rest a bit. The lionfish was right in front of the ladder. I gasped because It was HUGE! It was just kind of hovering next to the steps blocking my way out of the water. When we got closer it did this weird move where it flipped upside down like it was dead. I later found out that this is the "attack stance". I waited until the current pulled it far enough away so I could scramble up the ladder to safety. I was terrified!

Markus was thrilled. He continued snorkeling and saw about six more. He snapped this picture of one with a cheap underwater camera he had purchased at CCLP. I still shiver when I see it.



Has anyone been stung by a lionfish? I hear it's incredibly painful and temporarily paralyzes you. Is that true? I just need to know because I imagine it's easy to accidentally bump into one with your feet or legs while swimming. I just need to know how afraid I should be on a scale from 1 to 10...

[Mr. Twister]

They are generally at the bottom of the ocean. You're more likely to be stung scuba diving than swimming or snorkeling.

[jeannieb]

People were eating Lion Fish left and right on our last trip. We had some, it was tasty. Very meaty fish.
I was told there was a fisherman who was stung by the lionfish while out at sea. They had to get him back to shore and you have a couple-few hours to get to the hospital to recieve a series of injections. The venom messes with your nervous system and the fisherman told me it was a couple weeks before the guy was "right again".

[Ibirie]

Found this on the web. Pretty good information. Apparently the pain can be relieved by soaking the wound in hot water. It is important to make sure none of the spine remains in the wound due to the risk of serious infection.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php

[gluecipher]

Has any one ever seen a Stonefish in Negril? I see the sting rays jumping out of the water all the time (Usually in the morning) Are they a concern if stepped on?

[Mr. Twister]

gluecipher......You would run a risk of being stung if you step on a Sting Ray. When you visit places like "Sting Ray City" the tour guides always tell you to slide your feet along the ocean floor when walking around the Sting Rays.

I've also seen a Stonefish in Negril while diving. Never had any issues with them. They just sit there and stare...lol.

Stonefish