This lionfish was speared by Charlie Hill in a canal in Apollo Beach. Hill cautions swimmers and fishermen who encounter this species to handle with care. Its venomous sting is one you won’t soon forget. Charlie Hill photo.
The lionfish, a native species of the Pacific and Indian oceans, has been inching its way toward Tampa Bay for the past three decades. This unwelcome visitor has been spotted around the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and other areas in the bay. But now — the unthinkable — one was found in a brackish canal in Apollo Beach by resident Charlie Hill.
Lionfish are most often spotted on reefs and in deeper waters.
Hill is well acquainted with the lionfish.
“We fish and dive in the Keys where we spear and eat as many lionfish as we can,” Hill said. “I was shocked to see one off my seawall in Apollo Beach.
“I saw that thing and broke into a run inside to get the Hawaiian sling,” Hill said. “I got him with the first shot.”
Aside from a voracious appetite for small grouper, snapper and Florida lobster eggs, the fish can deliver a nasty sting with its venomous spines. Something Hill knows plenty about. His son was stuck by one of the spines while cleaning the fish for a meal.
“It was a painful event,” said Hill. “It took several hours of applying heat to finally relieve the pain. So, while they are very good to eat, extra care must be taken when cleaning them.”
Lionfish have 18 venomous spines that are used defensively against predators. These spines should be avoided during capture and handling. Its spines are not hollow and do not inject venom like a hypodermic needle or the fangs of a snake. Instead, the skin-like covering on the spine tears and retracts, allowing direct exposure to the wound by the venomous glandular tissue located along the grooved spine. The flesh of the fish is not poisonous.
“We chill [the lionfish] on ice then trim the spines with scissors prior to fileting,” said Hill.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, or FWC, has created an app for reporting lionfish sightings, which is accessible at MyFWC.com, or file a report online at myFWC.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/lionfish/report.
The FWC encourages the removal of lionfish to help Florida’s native marine species and habitats. — Cherie Simmons.
