Watch as a Spear Fisherman Efficiently Cleans Up Invasive Lionfish to Help Save Local Fish

Everywhere we turn, we see good people who are looking to make a difference in nature. And what better way than to ensure invasive species do not harm others? We see a group of divers who have taken on this great endeavor in the Caribbean.

Lionfish Sighting in the Caribbean

This YouTube video takes us to the majestic Caribbean. The video was filmed and then shared by the Patrick Explores YouTube page. This channel is dedicated to providing a video feed from Patrick’s scuba diving. According to his page, he is also on Disney+ in Weird But True and Nature Boom Time. Patrick shares a quick thought on his dive below.

“In a single dive, we speared 60 pounds of invasive lionfish in the Caribbean. We then ate the lionfish. They were tasty.” 

Check Out The Incredible Video Below!

Lionfish Vs. Fisherman

At the start of this video, we see a boat full of divers. If we pause the video at the start, we see there are about eight divers shown. They all look happy, geared up, and ready to dive! They are on a mission to clean up some invasive lionfish in the Caribbean. We will dive more into that later. 

Once they find their spot, we see Patrick take the lead and fall off the boat to lead this charge. Once down where they need to be, the team gets busy finding those lionfish. As we watch these few minutes of capture, notice where these lionfish are. They are not easily found, as they blend in well with their environment.

We see that these divers, each one by one, find these lionfish. Grabs them up and then puts them inside tubes. We see them using a device called a Hawaiian sling. This sling is a spear with a trident head. They are easily able to grab the fish up with these slings. When you place the tube in your hand, you are then able to pull the spear back so that the slingshot goes forward to snatch the fish up.

By 3:50, we see that they have finally finished. And they have three full tubes of these lionfish.

Are Lionfish Invasive?

Lionfish (Pterois volitans) of the genus Pterois are considered to be invasive species. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, lionfish “have a potential negative impact on native species and habitat.” They encourage people to help clean up our waters by removing these invasive species. 

These fish are predatory. Lionfish are carnivores that eat things such as crabs, shrimp, and fish. They can also eat prey up to half their body length. These fish are about 14 inches in length. 

We love to see these divers doing their part and removing 60 pounds worth of lionfish out of the Caribbean!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © bearacreative/Shutterstock.com