Now, with all of these reefs, it means marine life - and this is where the lionfish hunting comes in. Since lionfish are an invasive species invading all over Pensacola’s waters, preying on our local fish, we need divers like you to help when you see them. Lionfish can have all kinds of negative impacts on the marine ecosystem in our area, and in order to mitigate that problem, divers in our waters like to go spearfishing. Typically, this involves using a pole spear. The good news is lionfish can be hunted year-round in federal waters. A recreational fishing license is not required to collect lionfish from Florida waters when using a pole spear, a Hawaiian sling, a handheld net, or any spearing device that is designed and/or marketed exclusively for lionfish. Once you’ve captured your lionfish with your pole, you’ll put it into a zookeeper. It looks like a tube-like container – you’ll see in the photo above. A zookeeper can hold typically 1-3 lionfish at a time depending on the size of the lionfish.
Check out Ocean Strike Team to help plan your own lionfish adventure.