Lionfish cook-out at Nevis Yacht Club, Oualie Beach
Seaduced
John & Jane Craven
Sun 14 Apr 2013 10:46
| Lion-fish have been a major issue in the Caribbean for the last couple of years and the first ones were reported in Nevis in 2012. The main problem with lion-fish in the Caribbean is that they are not a part of the natural environment and therefore not part of the natural food chain. For this reason, they have no natural predators and are breeding like crazy. Some areas have been reporting more than 1000 lion-fish per acre! Another factor involved in their rapid take over of the reefs is that they reproduce at an enormous rate. Female lion-fish spawn every 4 days, producing over 2 million eggs a year! Lion-fish also have huge appetites and can decimate the population of a reef by up to 80% in a very short space of time. So what to do about them? In Nevis, they decided to try and reduce the population by introducing the 1st Annual Lion-fish Hunt & BBQ! Lion-fish has made some appearances on the menus on the island previously, but only to a limited extent. The point of the day was to show us all how to easily and safely clean and prepare the fish. It was also aimed at local fishermen to demonstrate to them that Lion-fish is a marketable product and therefore worth catching. One issue to consider is that lion-fish are venomous, and a sting from one can be painful. A second and also very serious issue is that of ciguatera. This is a potentially fatal disease carried by reef fish which can be passed to humans who have eaten infected fish. Once you have this disease, it can stay with you for life and you can never risk eating fish or seafood again! Anyway, enough doom and gloom! Once caught, the fish had their venomous spines cut off and were then filleted expertly by the chap from the local fisheries department. Once marinated and BBQ'ed, it was time for the taste test. We went for a small taste, and it was not bad at all. The flesh is firm, white, and similar in texture to a tilapia fillet or grouper. The amount of 'meat' per fish is often quite small, so you would need quite a few to make a meal. At least we can say we tried it! It was, however, probably a good job we didn't have too much as here in Nevis, the other great reef predator, the barracuda, is thought to be poisonous due to ciguatera! There were a few prizes for the lion-fish hunt, one for the largest weighing in at 1lb 7ozs, the most caught by a team, 86, and the smallest, only a few inches long weighing in at half an ounce! |