I travel to surf all the time in Barbados and I’m looking to get into free diving and pole spearing lion fish. Any tips on where to go as a beginner to help thin the population of these guys? Not too deep or far from shore.
Hey Lee, we eat them! Well you could certainly sell them if you have more than you can eat. At Oistins fish market there is a guy called Zeus who is one of the few vendors who actively buys from fisherman to sell. Otherwise if you ask around people will take them off your hands no problem!
Thanks for the video. 2 questions... Do they have a breeding season or is it all year long? Does anyone collect the egg globs I see on the vegetation? Seems like collecting the egg masses would do a lot to dent the numbers. Thanks.
They breed year round! One adult female can/will produce a batch of eggs every single week and will range between 5000 to 35000 per WEEK! I'm not sure how viable it is to specifically collect eggs but honestly for every 10 Lions that you spear you will often find one or two pregnant. Lionfish eggs contain a chemical that makes them bitter and unpalatable to humans and other fish.
We're always out in the water on the hunt for Lionfish, it has been an ongoing endeavor for us for the last 9yrs and we do what we can where we can. They honestly are like a small red snapper fillet but because they're invasive they just seem to taste so much better! :)
All over the island! Probably 10 different sites in total mostly South and West/North West. The very final clip is actually a deeper part of the reef off Martins Bay (East coast)
They are venomous which means that once the spines are removed they are safe to handle and eat. Invasive Lionfish have been in Barbados for almost 10yrs at this point.
@@sobasoda3628 they are like snapper but much softer and MUCH sweeter, they taste even better because they're invasive and it's satisfying to get them off the reef! :)
Nope, we have a zookeeper! They are a bit of a hindrance when you're breath hold (freediving) for 3hrs at a time. When we hunt them freediving it's more efficient to trim the spines off right away and string them up safely - every single clip in this video from 10ft to 120ft was all filmed on a breath hold dive 🇧🇧👌
@@SpearfishingBarbados Are you just trimming them with shears after killing them in the water? i have some decent gloves but idk about trying to shear off their spines while they are alive in the water, seems like a good way to get stabbed. Also, i need a longer dive knife i think lol
@@Leeryannavy Yes, while they are still on the end of the spear and you definitely want to be using the right shears not just kitchen scissors. It can certainly be a tense moment when you do remove the spines but remember that once the spines are all removed, the fish is perfectly safe to handle. Trying to get a lionfish back to shore with all it's spines still on is far riskier. Also, there is basically no glove that can stop a Lionfish spine so just take your time!
very good job !
Wow, these are monster's.
Great cleanup job !
Cheers Gilly!
I travel to surf all the time in Barbados and I’m looking to get into free diving and pole spearing lion fish. Any tips on where to go as a beginner to help thin the population of these guys? Not too deep or far from shore.
What do you do with them all? Also, if I snag a bunch out here in barbados, is there a place i can bring them to give them away?
Hey Lee, we eat them! Well you could certainly sell them if you have more than you can eat. At Oistins fish market there is a guy called Zeus who is one of the few vendors who actively buys from fisherman to sell. Otherwise if you ask around people will take them off your hands no problem!
Is it possible to buy fillets anywhere?
Hi Maurice, I would check with 'Zeus' in the Oistins fish market.
I saw a small one under Oistins Jetty --and another one in Coconut Court tidepool near the artificial reef things.
Thanks for the video. 2 questions... Do they have a breeding season or is it all year long? Does anyone collect the egg globs I see on the vegetation? Seems like collecting the egg masses would do a lot to dent the numbers. Thanks.
They breed year round! One adult female can/will produce a batch of eggs every single week and will range between 5000 to 35000 per WEEK! I'm not sure how viable it is to specifically collect eggs but honestly for every 10 Lions that you spear you will often find one or two pregnant. Lionfish eggs contain a chemical that makes them bitter and unpalatable to humans and other fish.
@@SpearfishingBarbados Thanks, glad for your videos and what you are doing.
Really cool, thanks for the cleanup ! How did they taste?
We're always out in the water on the hunt for Lionfish, it has been an ongoing endeavor for us for the last 9yrs and we do what we can where we can.
They honestly are like a small red snapper fillet but because they're invasive they just seem to taste so much better! :)
@@SpearfishingBarbados Cool! Good luck out there!
Question if you don't mind asking, which different reefs we're these?
All over the island! Probably 10 different sites in total mostly South and West/North West. The very final clip is actually a deeper part of the reef off Martins Bay (East coast)
Wow to believe these poisonous things are in Barbados my home country
They are venomous which means that once the spines are removed they are safe to handle and eat. Invasive Lionfish have been in Barbados for almost 10yrs at this point.
Thnx I was swimming on browns beach the other day and saw one I didnt go near it but
How do these things taste?
@@sobasoda3628 they are like snapper but much softer and MUCH sweeter, they taste even better because they're invasive and it's satisfying to get them off the reef! :)
Where have you had most success free diving for lionfish in Barbados?
To cheap for a zookeeper or a bag ?
Nope, we have a zookeeper! They are a bit of a hindrance when you're breath hold (freediving) for 3hrs at a time. When we hunt them freediving it's more efficient to trim the spines off right away and string them up safely - every single clip in this video from 10ft to 120ft was all filmed on a breath hold dive 🇧🇧👌
If you check out some of our older videos you can see me hunting them on scuba with my zookeeper - we filled two zookeepers to the brim on that day
@@SpearfishingBarbados Are you just trimming them with shears after killing them in the water? i have some decent gloves but idk about trying to shear off their spines while they are alive in the water, seems like a good way to get stabbed. Also, i need a longer dive knife i think lol
@@Leeryannavy Yes, while they are still on the end of the spear and you definitely want to be using the right shears not just kitchen scissors. It can certainly be a tense moment when you do remove the spines but remember that once the spines are all removed, the fish is perfectly safe to handle. Trying to get a lionfish back to shore with all it's spines still on is far riskier. Also, there is basically no glove that can stop a Lionfish spine so just take your time!
Dude, you need a tank and a bag.
I do that from time to time (see other videos) but we freedive 99% of the time :)