Lion Fish

The Indo-Pacific Red Lionfish, native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, has managed, with some human help, to break free of its native range and spread into the coastal waters off Florida and into the Caribbean. By 2008 this dark invader threatened the reefs of the Cayman Islands. However, through foresight on the part of the Cayman Islands Government, legislation was introduced to allow spears to be used to remove the fish and a licensing programme was begun to license individuals to cull lionfish from the Cayman Marine Parks. Current research shows that a sustained high level of culling can and does yield positive results.

If you are interested in becoming a licensed Lionfish Culler contact the Department of Environment at doe@gov.ky. Courses are held every three to four weeks. Divers are warned not to attempt to capture or cull Lionfish without the proper training as Lionfish are extremely venomous.