Lionfish

September 4, 2014

 

Common lionfish (Pterois miles)

Pterois volitans and P. miles
Native range: Indo-Pacific and Red Sea
Invasive range: East Coast of the United States and Caribbean Sea
Impacts: Lionfish can reduce the abundance of small native fish by up to 95% on some coral reefs. Reducing lionfish numbers and restoring populations of native fish can be challenging, given the lionfish’s ability to inhabit diverse habitats. High recruitment pressure from lionfish can create permanent alterations to native reef fish communities.

Some say that the invasion started in Miami, when Hurricane Andrew smashed an aquarium tank in 1992. But you can’t blame the weather: records of wild lionfish in Florida date back at least to 1985. This popular aquarium fish may have been released by fish enthusiasts tired of having a relentless predator in the living rooms, silently dispatching their other fish. And now that exotic predator is spreading north to New England, south to Panama and throughout the Caribbean, feasting on juvenile snapper and grouper along with algae-eating parrotfish as they go–-species which help keep reefs healthy. The lionfish is the first marine fish invasion in the western Atlantic.

Lionfish Range in the US. Click through to see an updated map.

Marine biologists are shocked at the speed of their spread in just a decade and at their population densities. Few fish species have established in the wild, let alone so successfully. Suddenly, they’re an abundant reef fish from the Bahamas to Rhode Island. Overfishing of predators like the grouper may be part of the story. Reef destruction and trophic cascade are possible outcomes. The only range limits appear to be colder and fresher waters.

A female lionfish produces two million eggs a year, so not only does it seem unlikely the species can be successfully eradicated, even slowing the growth rate is a challenge. Because lionfish eat just about anything that fits in their mouth while larger native fish don’t seem to recognize lionfish as prey, some experts say humans are the only predators left to call upon.

Lionfish in the Dominican Republic. Courtesy Brian Farrell.

As of 2010, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary has given out licenses to divers to kill the species inside the property. Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) hosts a series of “Lionfish Derbies” offering prize money  largest, smallest, and highest number caught; and publishes the Lionfish Cookbook, aimed at introducing chefs to what NOAA calls a “delicious, delicately flavored fish” similar in taste to snapper and texture to grouper. Lionfish have venomous fin spines––an uncommon feature on East Coast species–-making them top predators and a danger to fishermen and divers. (And more expensive than many other fish on the menu–someone has to remove those venomous spines.)

Wary of eating a venomous fish? Once the spines are removed, it can be prepared as any other fish–you can fry it or serve it as ceviche. You can grill it. You can jerk it.

The Cuban government promoted harvesting lionfish in 2011–and when we visited in 2014, we saw only one pez león over five days of snorkeling on the reefs. Although the invaders persist in deeper waters, the fishing pressure appears to be working.

In 2016, Whole Foods starting selling lionfish filets in its West Coast stores. The time, it appears, has come for this invader to go commercial.

 

Native range of Pterois volitans (green) and P. miles (blue). Star in Mediterranean Sea denotes migration through the Suez canal. Red is the current nonnative range, red hatching predicted future range.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Links

Great web portal on invasive lionfish, including an invasion timeline and lionfish jewelry from Belize.

Learn more at NOAA’s lionfish profile, and visit REEF’s lionfish program page.

Paul Greenberg reports from the field for Food and Wine here.

Looking for gear for your next lionfish excursion? Lionfishhunting.com offers one-stop shopping.

Be aware that lionfish has been linked with ciguatera poisoning, though recent research suggests that lionfish is safe to consume.

PBS News Hour covers lionfish in Florida

 
 

Lionfish on the Menu

These restaurants prepare lionfish when available.

Recipes

Filleting Your Lionfish

The venom in the lionfish spines remains active for up to an hour after the fish has died, so be cautious when handling and preparing it. See Lad Akins’ video below on how to filet your invader.

Beer-battered Lionfish with Dill Tartar Sauce

From The Lionfish Cookbook, by Tricia Ferguson and Lad Akins.
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup dill pickle, minced
2 tb lemon juice
1 tb fresh dill
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup beer
1 ts garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 fillets lionfish
Oil for frying

Combine first four ingredients in bowl and mix until blended. Combine flour, beer, garlic powder, and pepper in a separate bowl. Cut lionfish fillets into strips. Heat oil in frying pan. When oil is hot, dredge fish through beer batter, covering the entire fish fillet. Put fish into hot oil and cook until the other side is golden brown. Place a paper towel on a plate to absorb excess oil and transfer cooked fish to plate. Serve with dill tartar sauce.

The Lionfish Cookbook

Lemon-Pepper Lionfish

Serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound lionfish filets
1 lemon, juiced
ground black pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot.

2. Add fillets and squeeze 1/2 of the lemon’s juice over the tops. Sprinkle with pepper to taste.

3. Lightly sear (about 3 minutes), then turn. Squeeze with the remaining lemon’s juice and sprinkle with pepper to taste. Continue to cook until fillets flake easily with a fork.

More Recipes

How to get your lionfish from ocean to table
Lionfish Stew

Lionfish Nachos

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Marion Shorey November 17, 2015 at 8:24 am

hi we are from ballston spa ny we were wondering if we could order lionfish fillets any suggestions email me

Reply

myakka May 16, 2013 at 10:22 pm

Just an update, saw in the paper last week the requirements for a permit to take lionfish has been done away with. “Go get ’em, please and thank you!” seems to be the new normal.

Reply

Leave a Comment

Land

Wild_boar

Wild Pig

Did the domestic ancestors of today’s feral pigs streak off De Soto’s ship into the Florida scrub of their own accord in 1539? Or did they have to be urged to go find something to eat? All you need to…


EAT ME!
6a00d83451b96069e2017d3d0b7851970c-400wi

Garden Snail

Deliberately or accidentally, by the movement of plants and by hobbyists who collect snails, humans have spread the garden snail to temperate and subtropical zones around the world.


EAT ME!
GarlicMustard1

Garlic Mustard

  Alliaria petiolata Native range: Europe, Asia, Northwest Africa Invasive range: Much of the Lower 48, Alaska, and Canada. (See map.) Habitat: Moist, shaded soil of floodplains, forests, roadsides, edges of woods, and forest openings. Often dominant in disturbed areas. Description: Biennial herb. First-year plant has a rosette of green leaves close to the ground. […]


EAT ME!
nopales con huevo

Prickly Pear

Fall is here, and the “cactus fig” is in season. Time to plate-up another widespread invader.


EAT ME!
Screen Shot 2012-11-18 at 8.02.21 AM

Sow Thistle

It’s spring and time to weed. Sow thistle is a delicious invader found throughout the continent.


EAT ME!

Sea

Hemigrapsus_sanguineus_big

Asian Shore Crab

The first sighting of the Asian shore crab in the United States was at Townsend Inlet, Cape May County, New Jersey, in 1988. Though the source is unknown . . .


EAT ME!
Periwinkles

Periwinkle

The common periwinkle, which first appeared in New England in the 1860s, is now found along the coast wherever there’s hard substrate–rocks, riprap, broken concrete, or docks–from Labrador to . . .


EAT ME!
Pterois volitans

Lionfish

Some say it started in 1992 in Miami when Hurricane Andrew smashed an aquarium tank. Don’t blame the weather, others say; in the mid-nineties, disappointed yet softhearted hobbyists…


EAT ME!
chuka wakame

Wakame

  Undaria pinnatifida Native range: Japan Sea Invasive range: Southern California, San Francisco Bay, New Zealand, Australia, Europe, Argentina Habitat: Opportunistic seaweed, can be found on hard substrates including rocky reefs, pylons, buoys, boat hulls, and abalone and bivalve shells. Description: Golden brown seaweed, growing up to nine feet. Forms thick canopy. Reproductive sporophyll in […]


EAT ME!
Kleiner_Taschenkrebs_(Carcinus_maenas)

Green Crab

Since the green crab was first recorded off southern Massachusetts in 1817, it has been hard to ignore. A few minutes of rock-flipping in Maine can turn up dozens of them, brandishing their claws as they retreat…


EAT ME!

Fresh

Armored Catfish Meatballs (1)

Armored Catfish

The armored catfish is abundant and destructive in Florida, Texas, and Mexico. Cast your nets for these flavorful natives of the Amazon. Scientific name: Two types have become established in North America: armadillo del rio, Hypostomus plecostomus, and sailfin catfishes in genus Pterygoplichthys Native range: Amazon River Basin Invasive range: Texas, Florida, and Hawaii; also […]


EAT ME!
Picture 1

Common Carp

For a bottom-feeder, what is the good life? The common carp isn’t very demanding: any body of water that’s sluggish and murky will do. If the water is clean, and you’ve got corn for bait, try one of these recipes.


EAT ME!
IMG_W007-2

Watercress

  Nasturtium officianale Native Range: Northern Africa, Europe, temperate Asia, and India Invasive Range: In USA: all lower 48 states, except North Dakota. Found in Alaska, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Also southern Canada, Sub-Saharan Africa, South America, Australasia, and parts of tropical Asia. Habitat: Common along stream margins, ditches, and other areas with […]


EAT ME!
rusty_crayfish-large

Crayfish

  There are numerous invasive crayfish. We include details for the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) and the rusty crayfish (Orenectes rusticus). The same recipes can be used for both species–and many other invasive crayfish. Red Swamp Crayfish Native range: Known as Louisiana crayfish, crawdad, and mudbug, Procambarus clarkii is native to the south central […]


EAT ME!
nutria-mugshot

Nutria

Nutria, also known as coypu and river rat, is native to temperate and subtropical South America. It has been introduced to Europe, Asia, and Africa, mainly for fur farming. These voracious. . .


EAT ME!

Field Notes

Digital StillCamera

Can We Eliminate Invasive Species by Eating Them?

On restaurant menus across New England, green crabs are showing up in everything from bouillabaisse and bisques to croquettes and crudo. Read about it in Salon.


EAT ME!
151118153748-invasive-lionfish

Radio Health Journal

Can adding invasives to your diet help the environment and your health? Listen to Radio Health Journal here.


EAT ME!
Screen Shot 2022-04-08 at 7.39.53 AM

Qui veut manger des espèces invasives ?

Joe Roman chats with Camille Crosnier about eating invasives on France Inter. Listen here. In French.


EAT ME!
Screen Shot 2022-03-12 at 7.18.19 AM

Berlin’s Invasive Species Cuisine

A Berlin food truck is opening people’s minds and mouths by feeding them a menu of invasive species with the slogan, “If you can’t beat them, eat them!” Read more about it in the Good News Network.


EAT ME!
Screen Shot 2022-02-14 at 7.14.15 PM

Rack of Squirrel, Anyone?

Patrick Greenfield discusses the rise of invasivorism in the Guardian. Read it here.


EAT ME!

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1878

Previous post:

Next post: