LionFish
During our trip to Barbados we were introduced to the lion fish during our dive.
the lion fish is a predator native to the Indo-Pacific area, as a Neophyte in the Caribbean waters It has very few natural predators like the Nassau cropper and moray eel to keep their numbers down.
This is why they have over populated the Caribbean after being accidentally released and aggressively prey on small fish, lobsters, clams, octopuses, starfish, sea-urchins and jellyfish which is destroying the ecosystem of the Caribbean.
They are hard to fish for and handle due to their venomous spines which can cause effects such as extreme pain, nausea, fever, breathing difficulties, dizziness, headache and numbness.
There are some cooperatives fishing for the lion fish in hopes to reduce the population and and lower the risk of the beautiful waters losing their diversity.
One great cooperative is between Nassau and Barbados fishing and preparing the fish so they can be easily offered to the abundance of Caribbean restaurants and resorts in a effort to have a more sustainable Caribbean cuisine.
Lionfish is a white flakey fish, with a firm texture with a flavor profile between gurnard and mahi mahi its great used for sushi or ceviche.
In restaurant scene globally we are over eating these four fish and crustacean Shrimp, Tuna, Salmon & Cod which are putting oceans and waterways at risk of over fishing,
it would be wise to instead to use invasions species such as the lion fish and replace these items on the menu and help the oceans recover.