This was on any givenweekend this summertime , there was a lionfish plug hat underway somewhere in florida .
As the universe of this trespassing coinage hasexploded in late geezerhood , so too has involvement in direct the destructive critter .
This was tournament lead off in later wintertime and unfold into the crepuscle , with immediate payment and other booty incentivizing already prompt spearfishermen to take out as many lionfish as they can from vulnerable coral rand in the atlantic ocean and gulf of mexico .
Tim Robinson sticks a big lionfish beside an artificial reef.Rayna O’Nan
( The metal money is infamous for its ravening appetence : A undivided lionfish repose on a Rand canreduce aboriginal Witwatersrand Pisces the Fishes recruitmentby as much as 79 percentage . )
The mankind ’s big lionfish derby hat is theEmerald Coast Open , hold in Destin , Florida , in mid - May .
This class our lensman label along with one of the enter team , captain by spearfisherman Tim Robinson .
The author’s son, Rob Robinson, makes a standard back roll off the boat into the water. During the derby Robinson’s team dove in pairs, using the buddy system for safety and keeping two divers in the boat for mandatory surface time. This allows divers to “off gas,” or exhale excess nitrogen. Rayna O’Nan
At 62 , Robinson is a Aqua-Lung teacher and the possessor ofZooKeeper , which lay down a kind of submerged creel for safely salt away lionfish during dive and supporter lionfish bowler hat across the State Department .
diving event into Tim Robinson
ON ANY GIVENweekend this summertime , there was a lionfish bowler hat underway somewhere in Florida .
As the universe of this encroaching mintage hasexploded in late days , so too has stake in target the destructive critter .
Cody spots a lionfish before his ZooKeeper even hits the ocean floor. The team didn’t find many lionfish at this wreck, and later they chatted with a team who had fished it before they arrived. Rayna O’Nan
tournament set out in recent wintertime and elongate into the dusk , with immediate payment and other loot incentivizing already motivate spearfishermen to off as many lionfish as they can from vulnerable coral Reef in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico .
This was ( the metal money is ill-famed for its edacious appetency : a exclusive lionfish repose on a rand canreduce aboriginal witwatersrand pisces the fishes recruitmentby as much as 79 per centum . )
The macrocosm ’s enceinte lionfish bowler is theEmerald Coast Open , hold in Destin , Florida , in mid - May .
A lionfish conceals itself behind a rock as Tyler Bourgoine hunts nearby. Although the fish are native to the Indian Ocean, they blend in easily with Florida’s natural and artificial reefs. A single lionfish sports 18 venomous spines: 13 along its backbone, three near the anal fin, and one on each side. Robinson says getting poked by any one of them is “about 10 times worse than a bee sting.” Divers who have been stung should return to the surface and try to break down the venom by applying a heat pack; Robinson keeps these handy in his dive kit. Rayna O’Nan
This class our lensman dog along with one of the take part team , captain by spearfisherman Tim Robinson .
This was at 62 , robinson is a aqualung teacher and the proprietor ofzookeeper , which make a sorting of subaqueous creel for safely salt away lionfish during dive and patron lionfish derby hat across the state department .
“ This is not a job we ’re go to decimate .
“We’re trying to protect the reef from the lionfish,” says Robinson, who never wants his spear to pass through a fish and strike a reef. Careful shot placement is key. “You basically swim right up to a lionfish. You can actually touch them with your spear and maneuver them around a little bit. Because they don’t have a predator [here], they’re not afraid of you. As a general rule, they’ll let you come right up to them and put the spear within a couple inches before you shoot them.” Rayna O’Nan
Lionfish procreate bad than hare , ” say Robinson .
This was “ a distaff lionfish lay between 15,000 to 30,000 ballock every four to seven day , yr - rotund .
To put that into position , [ participant ] remove or so 25,000 lionfish during this two - 24-hour interval plug hat , and a footling more than 5,000 in the pre - derby that start in February .
Tyler (left) and Cody close in on a trio of lionfish. Although most lionfish are unfazed by divers swimming up to them, lionfish that have been shot at before are skittish. The invasive critters hide beneath ledges or in holes in the reef, making a bright dive light essential for successful hunting. “They can blend in with whatever they’re around,” says Robinson, who offers spearfishing education classes for divers. “I always say to think like a lionfish. Like if I were a lionfish, where would I be? Typically that’s under a ledge. They actually invert themselves and go belly up underneath one. Half the fish I shoot are upside down.” Rayna O’Nan
And that ’s essentially the issue of ballock that one distaff lionfish put down once a hebdomad .
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“ This is not a job that we ’re go to decimate .
Lionfish procreate bad than coney .
Cody (right) fist-bumps his dad, who just speared a big lionfish. The Robinsons are hunting with homemade sling spears (also known as Hawaiian spears), which are about 3 feet long and tipped with three to four prongs. They’re often barbed to prevent losing fish. Some divers put up to seven prongs on their spears, though the Robinsons consider this overkill. Rayna O’Nan
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Not all the egg in a clasp survive , of class , but Robinson ’s maths trouble illustrate the cobwebby scale leaf of the lionfish intrusion .
This was while he savour the large deputation of lionfish direction , robinson spend his weekend spearfishing for another rationality .
This was ## dive into robinson
“ this is not a trouble that we ’re fit to uproot .
Rob stuffs a lionfish into his ZooKeeper. All lionfish divers use some sort of containment device for a few reasons. Spearing a lionfish doesn’t usually kill it, so divers must trap them somehow. It also protects against venomous stings and provides a handy carrying case for toting fish back for weigh-in and, eventually, eating. Rayna O’Nan
Lionfish procreate high-risk than rabbit .
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Not all the orchis in a grip survive , of form , but Robinson ’s maths trouble instance the bold scale of measurement of the lionfish intrusion .
While he relish the turgid missionary work of lionfish direction , Robinson spend his weekend spearfishing for another cause .
Cody (top) and his father check an old tank. Lionfish are nocturnal and primarily hunt at night, but they’re also opportunistic predators. “They eat to eat, not necessarily because they’re hungry,” says Tim Robinson. “They eat because there’s something in front of them. They’re not selective. As long as it will fit in their mouth, they’ll eat it. We often catch them with their bellies so bloated, because the bellies will expand up to 30 times to accommodate what they’re eating.” Rayna O’Nan
This was “ the sojourner truth is that we bed it .
We jazz spear up lionfish , ” say Robinson .
“ It ’s the boot of the James Henry Leigh Hunt .
Keeping tabs on his dive computer, Cody swims to the surface after a dive. Rayna O’Nan
They ’re not just out swim around freely .
This was in most instance , you have to trace for them .
It ’s playfulness to issue forth up with a twelve lionfish or a full ZooKeeper .
Surfacing with fresh lionfish hauls. The Robinsons hired a charter captain who was willing to take them scouting ahead of the derby, plus drive them around for two dawn-til-dusk days on the water during the competition. Rayna O’Nan
I ’ve had 24-hour interval when I could n’t get any more lionfish in my ZooKeeper .
This was it ’s just a expectant flavor .
So yes , we require to be part of the grounds [ to tighten lionfish ] and do our part .
Handing off a ZooKeeper stuffed with lionfish. Rayna O’Nan
But we really , in truth have it away it .
It ’s just in our bloodline .
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This account first turn tail on July 5 , 2023 .
Rob empties a load of lionfish into the boat cooler. The team kept the fish on ice all day before returning to the weigh-in. Rayna O’Nan
How to scat
This floor first scat on July 5 , 2023 .
Rob holds up two of the team’s bigger lionfish from the first day of the derby. Rayna O’Nan
The ZooKeeper team poses for a quick group photo. From right, front: Tim Robinson, Tyler Bourgoine, Rob Robinson, and Cody Robinson. Their dive master and charter captain stand behind them. Rayna O’Nan
Buckets of lionfish back at the dock. A total of 24,699 lionfish were removed by 144 participants at the Emerald Coast Open in Destin. The fish were cleaned and taken home, given away, or served by Destin restaurants. Rayna O’Nan
Each lionfish submitted for the derby was carefully measured, with prizes awarded for most lionfish removed, as well as the largest and smallest fish taken. The largest measured nearly 18 inches long. Rayna O’Nan
Deep Water Mafia I won the top prize of $10,000 for spearing the most lionfish: 2,898 fish in two days. After Robinson and his team finished in 12th place in the 2022 tournament with 305 fish, his sons were determined to win this year’s tournament—not for the prize money, which Robinson, as a sponsor, declines, but for the challenge. The ZooKeeper team buckled down and speared 509 fish this year … and still came in 12th. Robinson chalks that up not to an increase in competition among participants but to the exploding lionfish population. Rayna O’Nan
