Lionfish

[Rum-polephoreskin]

According to wikipedia (a dicy proposition) there are two subspecies of lionfish that make up the invasive population.
Crusher's hyper-link (I believe) shows picture of both.

[head in the trees]

Thanks for the link. I'll be sure to steer clear if I see any. Thanks!!

[x l ent]

I think I posted this before about the Lionfish in Jamaica...But I was wanting to know which locations served the fish.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNG0ThOvrcw

[countryman]

It's also a good idea to take off any jewelry while snorkeling.
I made this mistake many years ago, snorkeling off the cliffs, and found myself swimming with a couple of Barracuda.
That was when I learned fish are attracted to shiny objects.
Other than that, never had a problem in Negril waters. Enjoy!

[Clarity]

Jamaica Joleen - Oh no! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak you or anyone else out with my Lionfish story from last year.
As you can see, I'm alive to tell the tale.

I didn't even see any on my recent trip and I spent a lot of time snorkeling off the cliffs. I think Markus saw one or two, but he swam really far out.

Markus does not share my intense "Lion fish phobia".

He knows a lot more about them than I do so I think he would be the best one to weigh in on this subject.

[Hubby-man]

Wow, the mention of lion fish created quite a stir. I saw far fewer lion fish this year. So that you all don't panic, let me take a short moment to sum up the facts as have been provided by Rum-polephoreskin and others in this thread.

Lion fish are native to the Pacific Ocean. Think Thailand, India, Indonesia, etc. Everyone probably knows them from the "Naked Gun" movies, where the bad guy keeps them in an Aquarium.

People with under-sized brains the world over gravitate towards owning dangerous animals. Just like Anacondas, Tarantulas, Scorpions and even Tigers, Mountain Lion and Alligators, they became big business in Pet-Stores and at exotic animal shows and spread all over the world.

They also reached homes in coastal regions of the US and elsewhere, where Hurricanes regularly wreck havoc. It was only a matter of time until private homes as well as public aquariums got hit and pets where set free and washed into the Ocean. The first officially recorded incident occurred in 1994 during Hurricane Andrew, when the Key Biscayne Aquarium knew with certainty that their collection of lion fish had been released into the Bay. However this was hardly the first incident.

As early as 1980 Lion fish had spread to the Red Sea on Egypt’s shores and sightings had been reported on Florida's coast before 1985, but no credence was given to the reports at the time.

Today lion fish can be found in almost every Ocean. Their spread is rapid since they find themselves in waters, where their prey have no instincts to flee and predators don't recognize them as food. They decimate schools of young fish, and put pressure on the reproduction rate of native species.

The NOAA has made it a priority to research the spread of lion fish and find solutions to reduce their number, but they have already concluded that (Quote) “Lion fish are here to stay”.

None-the-less, especially in Florida, which is known for it's struggle with invasive species (10.000 Giant Pythons are estimated to inhabit the everglades), efforts are made to eradicate lion fish with the help of recreational divers and fishermen. Even kill-fees have been paid. In the meantime lion fish have spread all the way up the West Coast and can be found as high North as Long Island.

If you like swimming in the ocean, you have better get used to lion fish and expect their presence, no matter where you take your vacation. By no means is this issue specific to Jamaica.

HOW DANGEROUS ARE LION FISH TO SWIMMERS?:

First of all: don't even begin to worry about lion fish on the beach. There are none! As far as the cliffs are concerned, other members of the scorpion fish family have always been in Jamaican waters and you don't need to have any greater concern now, than before the arrival of the new species. Behave sensibly and there is no reason to be afraid.

I have not found any statistics on how many people get stung by lion fish each year. I imagine the number is very low and most individuals that did get stung probably got stung while handling them (e.g. after hooking, netting or spear-fishing them and being careless handling them).

If you observe a lion fish during the day, you will find them to appear groggy. During the hours of full day-light lion fish, like most predatory fish, are sleeping or dozing, and float often in a headstand-pose. They have no interest in or curiosity about swimmers, but they also have no fear of anything.

They follow a strict policy of “I won't mess with you, if you don't mess with me”.

The row of poisonous spines is located on their back and not in the flashy pectoral fan-like fins. The spokes are by no means attack weapons but purely defensive. The fish has no ability to thrust them or actively attempt to sting you. They are simply meant to pierce your gums when you put them in your mouth.

During the day they prefer to retreat to slightly deeper water, and always close to the rocks, near the bottom of the ocean floor. It is highly unlikely that you could accidentally jump on one and get hurt that way.

Dusk however is another matter. Food in the Ocean is most abundant during twilight. Suddenly the calm sea is teeming with activity. What has been called live's greatest migration brings up unimaginable amounts of biomass from the abyssal planes. This is when lion fish rise closer to the surface and start patrolling their territory. The lion fish's drowsiness is gone now and you can observe them explosively snatching small fish that come too close. But again, they never stray to far from the rocks.

So avoid the time of dusk and night for jumping near rocks. Propel your self far from the cliff if you have to do it anyways. Just Check the area before you enter down a ladder.

If you snorkel during dusk, the sights will be most amazing. I wouldn't miss it for anything!! The number of creatures is ten-fold what it is during full-daylight! Hoards of Hound- and needle fish, schools of snappers and shiners, murray-eels, electric rays, spotted rays, cow rays, puffer fish, you name it. If that is your thing, like it is mine, dusk is your hour.

OK. the conclusion:

1.Don't be afraid, be sensible.
2.You have a spear-gun and you see a lion fish: KILL IT. You are doing the environment a favor.
3.If you see lion fish on the menu, dig in.
4.As a swimmer/cliff diver be extra alert during dusk and dawn.

I hope this helped dispel any unwarranted fears

[Rum-polephoreskin]

Nice!

[pekingduck]

great read thanks for the info

[Kritter]

Very nicely said, H-man! I had almost forgotten how active the reefs are at dusk......makes me 'want to be, under the sea....in an octopus' garden' RIGHT NOW!
Not to scare anybody, but I might also suggest that you're more likely to stung by a box jelly or get impaled by a sea urchin spine than to fall prey to the lionfish. But like H-man says, just be 'alert' and it'll be 'amazing' !

[Jamaica Joleen]

I am amazed by the amount of knowledge found on this board. Thank you and happy swimming for me!!
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Been to Negril several times, but all of my past visits I have been a few pounds heavier and a smoker. I quit smoking and started running about 4 months ago and have found the best cure for those terrible cravings is activity.
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I live in Wisconsin and have a small cabin on a lake. A few years ago, I took my snorkel equipment down to the shore of our lake for a swim. Gotta tell you, the stuff I saw in our lake scared the crap out of me. What did I see? 2 turtles, a school of fish and ALOT of weeds. The weeds scared me more than anything cuz I didn't know what was in them. I vowed after that experience to never snorkel in WI again.
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Really looking forward to snorkeling and my mind is much more at ease.
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While on the topic, what should a person do if hit by a jelly fish, sea urchin, lion fish, etc???