Quote:
Originally Posted by Danimal8199
I caught one with a little kids fishing net a few years ago in south beach. It was floating under some sea weed and they were gonna grab it, it was a baby...so yes i have seen one
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So it was a juvenile (about how long?) floating along beneath a mat of sargassum? With that as a means of distribution of the species, no wonder it has been found from Honduras, throughout the Bahamas, Turk & Caicos, Bermuda and up to Long Island, NY. Not good but pays to know. Didn't see any notes about that in the life cycle comments I found.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kent
I've done quite a bit of spearing in the Bahamas and had never really seen one until this year. Actually, unless you are really looking, you probably wouldn't see them because they are actually kind of hard to spot at first. My last trip over I saw at least 10-15 of them in around 50 feet of water. They were hanging around a great grouper spot and weren't really afraid of anything.
On a guess I'd bet that at least 300 of them will meet their end at the Bimini event. I understand that they will even have someone there showing how to prepare the tasty little critters for dinner.
I'm definitely going to this event just before the Nationals in Corpus Christi, TX. The nice thing is that I'll probably even get some kiting in as well. Should be fun.
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As a rule, they stay close to the bottom/rocks in the daytime preferring crevices and overhangs. Even if they're in the open, unless you focus on them in the distance they can be easy to miss. Up close they really stand out though. The ones I have seen in Bimini and in the Berry's were in about 10 ft. of water. Off Andros around Fresh Creek, around 50 ft. although I heard about a sighting of over a dozen in 10 or so feet of water around a derrick near the harbor. If there is cover, they may occur at shallower depths. Also, if you're looking for fish yourself, it is less likely in many areas you will be that shallow anyway. I understand they range out to about 250 ft. of water and can be common below 80 ft. in NE Florida. Haven't seen any on a reef in SE Florida yet, understand some have seen them here though.
I think your guess of a few hundred is in the ballpark. If guys tune into to where they are most likely found, they might even go past that point. Maybe tow around likely spots to scout prospects in advance. It is good the organizers are going to give tips on how to approach and deal with lionfish to avoid getting stung, nasty venom there.
More about the little buggers at:
http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/docum...ionfish_ia.pdf
http://fksa.org/showthread.php?p=39347#post39347
http://keysnews.com/node/11058
Some limited medical considerations:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/770764-overview
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/770764-treatment