The Lionfish King
Ken Ayers Jr.(MTeleComm’87) isdoing more than his fair share to fightback against Florida's invasive lionsfish problem.
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The invasive sea creature, though remarkable to look at, is destroying marineecosystems by eating everything in sight.
Ken Ayers Jr.(MTeleComm’87) isdoing more than his fair share to fightback. He was named the state’s 2017Lionfish King after removing 1,250 invasive lionfish off the coast in a statewidecompetition. And he’s still at it.
“The only way right now to successfully hunt lionfish is with a pole spear whilediving,” said Ayers, an Air Force veteranand master dive instructor with morethan 1,700 dives under his belt.
Last year, Ayers and fellow participants removed 26,321 lionfish duringthe four-month competition, sponsored by the Florida Fish and WildlifeConservation Commission. This year’sLionfish Challenge started May 19 withthe fourth annual Lionfish Removal andAwareness Day and runs until Sept. 3.
This time, Ayers is shooting to catch1,500 lionfish.
An aquarium staple, the lionfish isfamous for its colorful vertical stripes,18 venomous spines and feathery fins.It’s native to the South Pacific andIndian Oceans and is part of the scorpionfish family.
The exact cause of Florida’s lionfishinvasion is unknown, but many expertsspeculate the species was introduced tolocal waters in the 1980s, when citizensbegan releasing unwanted aquarium fishinto the Atlantic Ocean. More are saidto have escaped from damaged tankswhen Hurricane Andrew swept acrossthe Bahamas and Florida in1992.
Once introduced, the fecund fishspread through the marine ecosystemlike wildfire. According to the NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a single female lionfish can spawnmore than two million eggs a year.
This is where Ayers comes in.
After retiring from the Air Forcein 1995, he moved to Hawaii, wherehe learned to scuba dive. When hemoved back to Florida in 2013, hestarted to spearfish.
“I was looking for a way to help ourenvironment and dive too. Spearfishing became a perfect fit.”
That year, Ayers shot 95 lionfish offthe coast of Panama City in Florida,where he lives.
“After that, I was hooked,” he said.
On one of Ayers’ first lionfish hunts,he got distracted by all the colorful fishand lost track of how much oxygen wasin his tank.
“Before I knew it, I was down to lessthan 100 [cubic feet] in my tank,” hesaid. “You should end your dive at 500so you can make a safe ascent and do asafety stop.”
If a diver collects too many fish in onedive, they can be buoyed to the surfaceby the dead fishes’ expanding swim bladders. Ken learned this the hard way, aftercollecting 55 lionfish and finding himselfrocketed upwards.
Invasive lionfish are found along thesoutheast coast of the U.S., the Caribbean and in parts of the Gulf of Mexico.They infest coral reefs and feed on morethan 50 species of fish and crustaceans.
Since lionfish have no natural predatorsin Atlantic waters and reproduce abundantly, they can upend the food chain byeliminating native plants and animals andmonopolizing limited resources.
The lionfish boom has serious implications for marine ecosystems, and theproblem is unlikely to go away soon, ifever — despite Ayers’ efforts.
Still, one way to fight back, he says, isto fry up the fish for dinner.
Seafoodwatch.org, a website forenvironment-conscious fish eaters,lists lionfish as a “Best Choice” option:“When you buy lionfish, you’re helpingto prevent the spread of this invasivespecies in U.S. waters.”
Ayers’ favorite way to eat lionfish ispan-fried and smothered in butter.
His cats prefer it sashimi-style.
Top photo by @iStock/abadonian; Photocourtesy of Ken Ayers Jr.