ON ANY GIVEN weekend this summer season, there was a lionfish derby underway someplace in Florida. Because the inhabitants of this invasive species has exploded lately, so too has curiosity in concentrating on the harmful 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 lionfish 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 p.c.)
The world’s largest lionfish derby is the Emerald Coast Open, held in Destin, Florida, in mid-Could. This yr our photographer tagged together with one of many taking part 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 we’re going to eradicate. Lionfish multiply worse than rabbits,” says Robinson. “A feminine lionfish lays between 15,000 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, and somewhat greater than 5,000 within the pre-derby that began in February. And that’s principally the variety of eggs that one feminine lionfish lays as soon as every 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 drawback illustrates 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. Most often, it’s a must to 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 need to be a part of the trigger [to reduce lionfish] and do our half. However we actually, actually adore it. It’s simply in our blood.”
The creator’s son, Rob Robinson, makes an ordinary again roll off the boat into the water. Throughout the derby Robinson’s workforce dove in pairs, utilizing the buddy system for security and maintaining two divers within the boat for necessary floor time. This enables divers to “off fuel,” or exhale extra nitrogen. Rayna O’NanCody spots a lionfish earlier than his ZooKeeper even hits the ocean flooring. The workforce didn’t discover many lionfish at this wreck, and later they chatted with a workforce 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 spine, three close to the anal fin, and one on either side. Robinson says getting poked by any certainly one of them is “about 10 occasions worse than a bee sting.” Divers who’ve been stung ought to return to the floor and attempt to break down the venom by making use of a warmth pack; Robinson retains these useful in his dive equipment. Rayna O’Nan“We’re attempting to guard the reef from the lionfish,” says Robinson, who by no means needs his spear to move by a fish and strike a reef. Cautious shot placement is vital. “You principally swim proper as much as a lionfish. You may truly contact them together with your spear and maneuver them 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 were shot at earlier than are skittish. The invasive critters disguise beneath ledges or in holes within the reef, making a vibrant dive gentle important for profitable searching. “They’ll mix in with no matter they’re round,” says Robinson, who gives spearfishing training lessons for divers. “I at all times say to suppose like a lionfish. Like if I have been a lionfish, the place would I be? Usually that’s underneath a ledge. They really invert themselves and go stomach up beneath one. Half the fish I shoot are the other way up.” Rayna O’NanCody (proper) fist-bumps his dad, who simply speared an enormous lionfish. The Robinsons are searching with do-it-yourself sling spears (often known as Hawaiian spears), that are about 3 toes lengthy and tipped with three to 4 prongs. They’re usually barbed to forestall shedding fish. Some divers put as much as seven prongs on their spears, although the Robinsons contemplate this overkill. Rayna O’NanRob stuffs a lionfish into his ZooKeeper. All lionfish divers use some kind of containment system for a number of causes. Spearing a lionfish doesn’t normally kill it, so divers should entice them someway. It additionally protects towards venomous stings and offers a useful carrying case for toting fish again for weigh-in and, ultimately, consuming. Rayna O’NanCody (high) and his father verify an outdated tank. Lionfish are nocturnal and primarily hunt at evening, however they’re additionally opportunistic predators. “They eat to eat, not essentially as a result of they’re hungry,” says Tim Robinson. “They eat as a result of there’s one thing in entrance of them. They’re not selective. So long as it is going to match of their mouth, they’ll eat it. We frequently catch them with their bellies so bloated, as a result of the bellies will develop as much as 30 occasions to accommodate what they’re consuming.” Rayna O’NanMaintaining tabs on his dive laptop, Cody swims to the floor after a dive. Rayna O’NanSurfacing with recent lionfish hauls. The Robinsons employed a constitution captain who was prepared to take them scouting forward of the derby, plus drive them round for 2 dawn-til-dusk days on the water in the course of the competitors. Rayna O’NanHanding off a ZooKeeper full of lionfish. Rayna O’NanRob empties a load of lionfish into the boat cooler. The workforce stored the fish on ice all day earlier than returning to the weigh-in. Rayna O’NanRob holds up two of the workforce’s larger lionfish from the primary day of the derby. Rayna O’NanThe ZooKeeper workforce poses for a fast group picture. 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 individuals on the Emerald Coast Open in Destin. The fish have been cleaned and brought residence, given away, or served by Destin eating places. Rayna O’NanEvery lionfish submitted for the derby was fastidiously measured, with prizes awarded for many lionfish eliminated, in addition to the biggest and smallest fish taken. The biggest measured almost 18 inches lengthy. Rayna O’NanDeep Water Mafia I gained the highest prize of $10,000 for spearing probably the most lionfish: 2,898 fish in two days. After Robinson and his workforce completed in twelfth place within the 2022 event with 305 fish, his sons have been decided to win this yr’s event—not for the prize cash, which Robinson, as a sponsor, declines, however for the problem. The ZooKeeper workforce 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 individuals however to the exploding lionfish inhabitants. Rayna O’Nan
