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Eat the lionfish, save the reef
Monday 10 May 2021
Diver and fisherman John Procope prepares a lionfish for consumption by clipping off the venomous spike, making it safe to eat, at his home in Crown Point. Photo by David Reed - DAVID REID
TOBAGO S reef system has been under threat for years now with the coming to the island s waters of the lionfish.
The fish is an invasive species with no natural predators in Caribbean waters. Lionfish eat fish, shrimp, crabs, juvenile octopus, squid, juvenile lobster and seahorses indiscriminately. If a lionfish can fit prey into its mouth, it will eat it. Without an apex predator, it has been multiplying fast in the Atlantic and Caribbean.
Tobago fisherman: Eat lionfish to save the reefs
Fisherman Edward Grant holds a lionfish for sale at his stall at the roadside in Lambeau. -
Lionfish, an invasive species in the Atlantic and Caribbean Sea, is a threat to the marine ecosystem.
Native to the Indo-Pacific, the lionfish devours over 80 types of prey who do not recognise it as a predator.
However, there is one way lionfish numbers can be reduced immediately– by eating them.
Some say, they make a delectable dish.
Grilled fillet of lionfish -
Tobago-based scuba diver John Procope is now doing his part to help control the species, by hunting and processing the tasty fish that is wreaking havoc on the island’s coral reefs. Procope said if decisive action is not taken, the reefs in Tobago could be decimated.