Without a natural predator, invasive lionfish, which damage coral reefs, have become widespread throughout the Caribbean over the last several decades. To prevent further harm off the northern coast of Honduras, locals have resorted to crafting their own spears to effectively and safely hunt lionfish, reports Mongabay contributor Fritz Pinnow.
Julio San Martín Chicas, program coordinator with the NGO Coral Reef Alliance, told Mongabay that lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles), a group of venomous fish native to the Indo-Pacific, are believed to have proliferated after being released into the sea from personal aquariums. These fish feed on small native fish that play an important role in keeping harmful algae growth on corals in check.
As lionfish reproduce quickly and eat the smaller fish, it puts “coral ecosystem at risk, as it critically disrupts the natural exchange of nutrients,” Chicas said. He added that to address the problem, humans must become lionfish predators and hunt them or teach natural predators like sharks and groupers to eat them. The latter hasn’t shown much success.
In the Honduran town of Tela, a group of locals led by divemaster Mario Motiño Jr. and his father, Mario Sr., have turned to hunting lionfish to limit their spread.
Pinnow reports that 68% of Tela Bay has live corals, which are already vulnerable to overfishing and bleaching due to climate change. Lionfish are an additional problem.
The Motiños, who own one of the largest metal fabrication businesses in the Honduras, started out as diving enthusiasts until they founded the community group Tela Divers-Sealife Conservation in 2017 to combine their love for recreational diving and conservation. They began hunting lionfish in 2022, but lacked specialized hunting and storage equipment necessary to protect them from being stung by the lionfish’s venomous spines. Importing a hunting spear from the U.S. cost $70, and specialized containers cost at least $300.
“We’re engineers, so we started building our own equipment with what we could source locally,” Motiño Jr. told Mongabay.
His group started using plastic tubes to safely store lionfish, and made spears from metal rods. This more affordable gear became a game changer that allowed the divers to organize lionfish hunting competitions to raise awareness about the invasive species, Pinnow reports.
During their last competition in October 2024, 21 divers caught 140 lionfish. The fish are usually donated to a local chef who removes the venomous spines and showcases the edible meat, Pinnow writes.
“The reef is dying at an alarming rate and we hope these efforts expand and the people working on hunting lionfish multiply as quickly as possible,” Chicas said.
This is a summary of “A father and son duo fight invasive lionfish on a Honduran reef” by Fritz Pinnow.
Banner image of the Motiños hunting lionfish. Image by Fritz Pinnow for Mongabay.
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