Sharks in the Gulf of Mexico may have made headlines this summer, but lionfish are the real Jaws of the sea. The Indo-Pacific fish has devoured up to 90% of native fish in areas of the western Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. Destin-Ft. Walton Beach hosts the largest invasive lionfish collection and outreach event in the world. As a judge at the Emerald Coast Open Lionfish Restaurant Week, I met excited conservationists, divers/hunters, chefs, and servers who educate the public on the most effective way to combat the lionfish invasion one bite at a time.
Lionfish multiply and consume at a rate that sounds like science fiction. Females can spawn from 27,000 to 100,000 eggs every 2.5 days. They invaded the western Atlantic, Gulf, and Caribbean where they have no natural predators by way of people dumping them from aquariums and from transport boats sunk by Hurricane Andrew.
One lionfish can consume 20 fish (each over one-half of their body size) in 30 minutes. They eat over 100 species of native fish (including 30 Gulf species like groupers, snappers, and lobsters). With rising water temperatures scientists predict lionfish will also invade coastlines in France, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, South Africa, and New Zealand. Another study found that Lionfish can eat 42% more food during the months when the water is warmer. Unlike most fish, Lionfish use more energy digesting food than they do swimming. They can eat 30 times their stomach volume. The good news is they move slowly, so divers find them easy to spear. Even with puncture-resistant gloves, however, harvesters must be careful to avoid the fish’s 18 needle-like spines. If pierced by one of them, the venom is very painful and could cause an allergic reaction.
During Restaurant Week I spoke with Coastal Resources Manager and Fisheries Biologist Alex Fogg whose method of lionfish removal in the Gulf has been so successful that he has he has teamed with global researchers to quell the invasion in the Mediterranean Sea. While he continues developing traps and remotely operated vehicles for harvesting lionfish from depths beyond diver accessibility, his main initiative — the largest lionfish hunt and festival in the world — provides a successful means of removal already within reach. In 2023, over 24,000 were cleared from the Destin-Ft. Walton Beach area. In 2024 despite storm conditions, over 11,844 were harvested at the yearly event and a record number of prizes were won. Join or sponsor the 2025 hunt here.
Lionfish are safe, nutritious, and delicious. Unlike pufferfish that are poisonous and need to be prepared by a professional, lionfish are venomous because of their spines. Once the spines are removed, lionfish are safe to handle and can be fried, broiled, or baked. They can be, served as sushi or in tacos — in many delicious ways. As the authors of The Lionfish Cookbook claim, “there’s no ‘greener’ fish you can eat.”
You can request lionfish at your local fish market or — if you’d rather leave cooking to the chefs (imagine a Lion vs. Bear challenge), then request lionfish be added to your local restaurant menu. We can create a demand in the hospitality industry, greatly impacting removal efforts as one way of saving our seas.
Fogg has also been instrumental in building artificial reefs to spread out diving and fishing to protect natural reefs, juvenile fish, and spawning grounds. Okaloosa County’s artificial reef program (200 built since 2019 and 428 since 1976) is one of the most active programs in the nation. Destin-Ft. Walton Beach is Florida’s hub for conservation education for children. Learn more about their snorkeling and diving adventures for adults and kids and the Gulfacrium C.A.R.E. ing for Sea Turtles Program.
I also joined a demonstration by local artist, Harley Van Hyning, who gave children an art/conservation lesson on lionfish. Check out his work using the century-old Japanese art form of Gyotaku below and here.
Disclosure: I was a guest of Destin-Ft. Walton Beach for this event. The cookbook mentioned has an affiliate link. The opinions here, as always, are my own.
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