Caribbean lionfish | The Blacktip Times

Tag Archives: Caribbean lionfish

May 21, 2021 · 8:31 am

Blacktip Island Divers Injured During Lionfish Spear-Training Melee

A training session for lionfish-culler hopefuls ran amok Wednesday afternoon when multiple trainees shot each other with their lionfish spears. (photo courtesy of Val Schrader)

A dozen would-be lionfish cullers were sent to the Blacktip Island medical clinic Wednesday after a spear-use class in a resort pool went awry, officials said.

“We’re trying to get as many cullers trained up as possible, and the practical portion of the course was in the Sandy Bottoms resort pool,” Marine Parks spokesperson Val Schrader said. “Everything was fine ‘til Joey Pompano shot Jack Wrasse in the butt cheek. Joey said the spear slipped, but nobody believes that for a second.

“Problem was, Jack turned around and shot back,” Schrader said. “He missed and hit B.C. Flote. Then all hell broke loose, with everybody shooting at each other. Next thing we knew, there was blood everywhere and people screaming. And yes, alcohol was involved.”

Island medical authorities say the wounds varied in severity.

“There’s some nasty puncture wounds, as you’d expect, but there’s also some pretty severe gashes where spear points grazed a body part,” island nurse Marissa Graysby said. “I treated 12 divers that afternoon, from everything from punctured hands to bleeding thighs. I’m about out of antibiotics.

“Luckily they were all flesh wounds,” Graysby said. “And no one was in danger of bleeding out. Though there’s a couple I wouldn’t mind if they had. Good thing those spear tines are short and the slings don’t have any more force than they do.”

Authorities say criminal charges are pending for multiple participants.

“As soon as they’re able to leave the clinic, I’ll be arresting at least five of the spearers involved,” Island Police Constable Rafe Marquette said. “I’m still interviewing witnesses and participants to determine who did what to who. All involved have lost their right to spear until the cases are resolved.”

Pompano continued to claim innocence.

“It was an honest-to-God mistake,” he said. “I was testing the stretch of the rubber tubing and it slipped. I said I was sorry. Jack just overreacted.”

Other disputed that account.

“I seen Joey take aim, plain as day,” Rocky Shore said. “Had a goofy grin as he did it, too. No way that was an accident. He’s had a grudge against Jack ever since Jack stole Palometa Fischer away from him.

“The whole thing was beautiful to watch. From the pool deck,” Shore said. “The blood in the water swirled around as people thrashed. It was like a red-and-blue lava lamp.”

Schrader said she hopes the legal issues are resolved quickly. “The upside to all this is the trainees all showed really good aim,” she said. “Except for Jack, of course. This shows our training’s working. They’re gonna be hell on the lionfish, once folks get their spear privileges back. I’m gonna get on Rafe about that. We need those spears and spearers on the reef, pronto.”

Lionfish Shortage Spurs Blacktip Island Fish Farm

Local aquaculture enthusiasts hope their plan to raise lionfish in inland ponds will solve the lionfish shortage at island restaurants. (photo courtesy of George Graysby)

A shortage of invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish on Blacktip Island reefs has prompted local aquaculturists to launch a captive-breeding program this week to supply lionfish to island restaurants.

“We’re victims of our own success, really,” Blacktip Haven chef Jessie Catahoula said. “We put lionfish on the menu to encourage scuba divers to cull them off the reefs. The cullers did such a good job, there’s no lionfish left.

“Problem is, we’ve marketed the hell out of fresh lionfish tacos, ceviche, medallions, you name it,” Catahoula said. “Tourists come here expecting lionfish, and boy, do they get hacked off when we don’t have any. Flying the meat in from the big island’s killing our bottom line. Thankfully the fish nerds stepped in.”

Resident aquarium enthusiasts floated the idea of a fish farm.

“The restaurants tried substituting other types of fish, but customers caught on,” George Graysby said. “Captive breeding was the only viable solution. We have lots of aquariums, so this isn’t really that big of a jump.

“We still push culling and conservation and all, but going forward all the lionfish served on Blacktip will be farm raised,” Graysby said. “Farm-to-table lionfish, if you will. And we’re working on genetically modifying them, too, to make them venom-less. And bigger.”

Experts say the plan will boost the small Caribbean island’s economy.

“Lionfish is set to be the new tilapia,” Tiperon University-Blacktip economics professor Sally Port said. “Digging the ponds is already keeping two people employed full time. And once the place is up and running, it’ll need a full-time staff to maintain it.

“It’ll be six months before the first fish are ready for harvesting, but at that point, the process will be self sustaining,” Port said. “George and Belinda are starting the fry in aquariums this week and will transfer them to the ponds as soon as, well, as soon as the ponds are completed.”

Island environmentalists cautioned about the project’s potential downside.

“We’ve spent so much time and energy getting rid of these invasive pests, now George’s actively breeding as many of them as he can?” Harry Pickett said. “What happens when a big storm washes thousands of lionfish onto the reefs?

“They’ll wipe out the native reef fish in no time,” Pickett said. “We’ll be worse off than before,” Pickett said. “This is an ecological disaster waiting to happen, never mind the stink a farm like that’ll create.”

Farm backers brushed aside such worries.

“We’re digging the farm way inland where it’s safe from any storm surge,” Belinda Graysby said. “And it’s up by the Tailspinner bar where it won’t bother anyone. And even if it does, if the booby pond stink doesn’t scare people away the smell of a fish farm won’t, either.

“Worst case, if a big hurricane does flood the ponds, well, we’ve got an island full of trained cullers who can clear the reefs in no time,” she said. “Either way, the restaurants’ll get their fish.”