ON ANY GIVEN weekend this summer time, there’s a lionfish derby underway in Florida. Because the lionfish inhabitants has exploded lately, so too has curiosity in concentrating on the invasive critters. Tournaments start in late winter and stretch into the autumn, with money and different prizes incentivizing already-motivated spearfishermen to take away as many damaging fish as they’ll from weak coral reefs within the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. (The species is infamous for its voracious urge for food: A single lionfish residing on a reef can cut back native reef fish recruitment by as a lot as 79 %.)
The world’s greatest lionfish derby is the Emerald Coast Open, held in Destin, Florida, in mid-Might. This yr our photographer tagged together with one of many collaborating groups, captained by spearfisherman Tim Robinson. At 62, Robinson is a scuba teacher and the proprietor of ZooKeeper, which makes a kind of underwater creel for safely storing lionfish throughout dives and sponsors lionfish derbies throughout the state.
“This isn’t an issue that we’re going to eradicate. Lionfish multiply worse than rabbits,” says Robinson. “A feminine lionfish lays between 15 to 30,000 eggs each 4 to seven days, year-round. To place that into perspective, [participants] eliminated roughly 25,000 lionfish throughout this two-day derby, after which about somewhat over 5,000 within the pre-derby that began in February. And that’s mainly the variety of eggs that one feminine lionfish lays as soon as per week.”
“This isn’t an issue that we’re going to eradicate. Lionfish multiply worse than rabbits.”
—Tim Robinson
Not all of the eggs in a clutch survive, in fact, however Robinson’s math downside helps illustrate the sheer scale of the lionfish invasion. Whereas he enjoys the bigger mission of lionfish administration, Robinson spends his weekend spearfishing for an additional purpose.
“The reality is that we adore it. We love spearing lionfish,” says Robinson. “It’s the fun of the hunt. They’re not simply out swimming round freely. Normally, you must hunt for them. It’s enjoyable to give you a dozen lionfish or a full ZooKeeper. I’ve had days after I couldn’t get any extra lionfish in my ZooKeeper. It’s only a nice feeling. So sure, we wish to be a part of the trigger [to reduce lionfish] and do our half. However we actually, really adore it. It’s simply in our blood.”
Cody Robinson (left), 26, prepares to dive; Rob Robinson (proper), 28, makes an ordinary again roll off the boat into the water. Throughout the derby Robinson’s staff dove in alternating pairs, utilizing the buddy system for security and maintaining two divers within the boat to clock their obligatory floor time. (This enables divers to “off fuel,” or exhale extra nitrogen absorbed from their tank’s air provide.) The Robinsons principally focused lionfish round 90 to 100 toes deep throughout this derby. Rayna O’NanCody spots a lionfish earlier than his ZooKeeper even hits the ocean ground. The staff didn’t discover many lionfish at this wreck, and later they chatted with a staff who had fished it earlier than they arrived. Rayna O’NanA lionfish conceals itself behind a rock as Tyler Bourgoine hunts close by. Though the fish are native to the Indian Ocean, they mix in simply with Florida’s pure and synthetic reefs. A single lionfish sports activities 18 venomous spines: 13 alongside its backbone, three close to the anal fin, and one on both sides. Robinson says getting poked by any considered one of them is “about 10 occasions worse than a bee sting.” Divers who’re stung ought to return to the floor and attempt to break down the venom by making use of a warmth pack; Robinson retains these helpful in his dive package. Rayna O’Nan“We’re attempting to guard the reef from the lionfish,” says Robinson, who by no means desires his spear to move by means of a fish and strike the reef. Cautious shot placement is essential. “You mainly swim proper as much as a lionfish, and you may truly contact them together with your spear and maneuver them. You wish to transfer him round somewhat bit. As a result of they don’t have a predator [here], they’re not afraid of you. As a normal rule, they’ll allow you to come proper as much as them and put the spear inside a pair inches earlier than you shoot them.” Rayna O’NanTyler (left) and Cody shut in on a trio of lionfish. Though most lionfish are unfazed by divers swimming as much as them, lionfish which have been shot at earlier than are skittish. The invasive critters cover beneath ledges or in holes within the reef, making a vibrant dive gentle important for profitable searching. “They will mix in with no matter they’re round,” says Robinson, who gives spearfishing training courses for divers. “I all the time say to suppose like a lionfish. Like if I have been a lionfish, the place would I be? And that’s sometimes underneath a ledge. They really invert themselves and go stomach up beneath one. Half the fish I shoot are sometimes the other way up.” Rayna O’NanCody (Proper) fistbumps his dad, who simply speared a giant lionfish. The Robinsons are searching with selfmade sling spears (also referred to as Hawaiian spears), that are about 3 toes lengthy and tipped with three to 4 prongs. They’re typically barbed to stop shedding fish, and a few divers put as much as seven prongs on their spears, although Robinson considers this overkill. Rayna O’NanRob stuffs a lionfish into his ZooKeeper. All lionfish divers use some kind of lionfish containment machine for a number of causes. Spearing a lionfish doesn’t often kill it, so divers should entice them in some way. It additionally protects in opposition to venomous stings and offers a helpful carrying case for toting fish again for weigh-in and, finally, consuming. Rayna O’NanCody (high) and his father examine an previous tank. Lionfish are nocturnal and primarily hunt at night time, however they’re additionally opportunistic predators. “They eat to eat, not as a result of they’re essentially hungry,” says Tim Robinson. “They eat as a result of there’s one thing in entrance of them to eat. They’re not selective. So long as it is going to match of their mouth, they’ll eat it. We catch them with their bellies so bloated, as a result of their bellies will increase 30 occasions to accommodate what they’re consuming.” Rayna O’NanProtecting tabs on his dive pc, Cody swims to the floor. Divers will not be presupposed to ascend quicker than 1 foot per second to keep away from decompression illness, generally known as the bends. Rayna O’NanSurfacing with contemporary lionfish hauls. The Robinsons employed a constitution captain who was keen to take them scouting forward of the derby, plus drive them round for 2 dawn-til-dusk days on the water throughout the competitors. Rayna O’NanHanding off a ZooKeeper filled with lionfish. Rayna O’NanRob empties a load of lionfish into the boat cooler. The staff saved the fish on ice all day earlier than returning to the weigh-in. Rayna O’NanRob holds up two of the staff’s larger lionfish from the primary day of the derby. Rayna O’NanThe ZooKeeper staff poses for a fast group photograph. From proper, entrance: Tim Robinson, Tyler Bourgoine, Rob Robinson, and Cody Robinson. Their dive grasp and constitution captain stand behind them. Rayna O’NanBuckets of lionfish again on the dock. A complete of 24,699 lionfish have been eliminated by 144 members on the Emerald Coast Open in Destin. The fish have been cleaned and brought dwelling, given away, or served by Destin eating places. Lionfish is a gentle white fish that tastes nice anyway you put together it, says Robinson, although he likes it fried greatest. Rayna O’NanEvery lionfish submitted for the derby was rigorously measured, with prizes awarded for the biggest and smallest fish, in addition to most lionfish eliminated. The biggest measured almost 18 inches lengthy, incomes that staff a $5,000 examine. Rayna O’NanDeep Water Mafia I received the highest prize of $10,000 for spearing probably the most lionfish: 2,898 fish in two days. After Robinson and his staff completed in twelfth place within the 2022 match with 305 fish, his sons have been decided to win this yr’s match—not for the prize cash, which Robinson declines as a sponsor, however for the problem. The ZooKeeper staff buckled down and speared 509 fish this yr … and nonetheless got here in twelfth. Robinson chalks that up to not a rise in competitors amongst members however to the exploding lionfish inhabitants. Rayna O’Nan
