Other Fish Avoid It...But Maybe We Shouldn't

Sir Hillary Bray

From yesterday's New York Times, an item about our friend pterois volitans:

To Catch: Eating This Fish Will Save Other Fish
Environmentalists are hoping more lionfish will show up on your dinner plate. The predatory Asian fish, with its distinctive stripes, venomous spines and extravagant fanlike fins, has invaded Caribbean and Atlantic waters, endangering other species and coral reefs. The idea is to make them popular as a food to reduce their numbers. In New York, Ryan Chadwick serves them deliciously fried, in tacos and pan-roasted, in his Bahamian restaurant, Norman’s Cay. He is also helping to promote it for retailers, including the Aqua Best market in Chinatown, which gets it fresh, usually once or twice a week. The store will clean and de-spine the one-and-a-half-pound fish for you. Lionfish is mild, with snowy flesh similar to black sea bass, and easy to cook whole: floured and pan-fried, oiled and baked, steamed and in Chinese recipes.

Thunderpussy

Does it taste good with chips ? )

thesecretagent

On honeymoon we stayed in a water bungalow in the Maldives. There was a small lion fish at the bottom of the steps every afternoon. It was pretty disconcerting. I used to dive in, but getting back up the steps was difficult. Especially with it wafting about in the current and small swell. My wife (being pretty ignorant of nature and thinking me a drama queen) used to just walk up and down the steps. I had a jab at it with a knife, missed and only succeeded in getting VERY close with my arm. I gave up after that. I wandered into the diving school to identify it, then felt a bit daft when the conversation went a bit like this.
"There's a lion fish at the bottom of my steps"
"Yeah. That's where they live"
"But it's deadly."
"Yes. I suggest you don't touch it."
"But..." I just walked away seeing where this was going.

Thunderpussy

) reminds me of a story my mate told me. When on holiday in Australia ( in the out back ) walking down
Some steps to a pond for water he just missed stepping on a lethal snake ( can't remember which ).
Telling the guide about it, the guide said " did you stand on it ?" He replied "no"
The guide looked at him and said " Well just keep doing that !" )

always shaken

I seem to remember one of the guys has one of these lovely creatures as a pet (cant remember who) ?
any chance he can throw some light on this beautiful fish

always shaken

always shaken wrote:

I seem to remember one of the guys has one of these lovely creatures as a pet (cant remember who) ?
any chance he can throw some light on this beautiful fish

I re member now its richmantoys

thesecretagent

Thunderpussy wrote:

) reminds me of a story my mate told me. When on holiday in Australia ( in the out back ) walking down
Some steps to a pond for water he just missed stepping on a lethal snake ( can't remember which ).
Telling the guide about it, the guide said " did you stand on it ?" He replied "no"
The guide looked at him and said " Well just keep doing that !" )

)

I let my hand trail in the water in a swamp boat in the Everglades while we were drifting and the guide was pointing out the wildlife.
"Hey, buddy! Hands in the boat. You're not in Disneyland now...."

AlphaOmegaSin

"Hey, buddy! Hands in the boat. You're not in Disneyland now...."

I just that out aloud in a Florida Accent.

minigeff

thesecretagent wrote:

Thunderpussy wrote:

) reminds me of a story my mate told me. When on holiday in Australia ( in the out back ) walking down
Some steps to a pond for water he just missed stepping on a lethal snake ( can't remember which ).
Telling the guide about it, the guide said " did you stand on it ?" He replied "no"
The guide looked at him and said " Well just keep doing that !" )

)

I let my hand trail in the water in a swamp boat in the Everglades while we were drifting and the guide was pointing out the wildlife.
"Hey, buddy! Hands in the boat. You're not in Disneyland now...."

I went to the glades on a school trip some years ago. This was way before digital cameras and smartphones

On drifting silently through the river, we saw an apparently very rare owl sitting in a tree. We were told by the guide in hushed tones to be quiet and turn off the flashes on our cameras if we wanted to take a photo.

Prior to the trip my dad had shelled out loads on a new camera for me, a canon sure shot it think it was....

So up I stand, line up for a great pic for the family and.....

EEEEERRR WHEEEEEERRRR RRREEEEEEE EE. Click.

Although the canon's auto focus feature allowed me to get a great focused photo, non of my fellow travellers seemed that impressed by it. Neither did my family who got a perfectly crisp shot of an owls starfish as it buggered off into the trees.