Meet the Lionfish; you may shortly be having a very close encounter with him. He is is one of the most poisonous fish in the world, delivering venom from up to 18 dorsal fins which have spines as sharp as needles. Extremly painful, but rarely fatal, it's stings can cause convultions, breathing problems, and collapse. It is believed that this fish was introduced into the waters off of Florida by hobbysists and collectors in the 1990's. It is now a relentless predator in the waters and is threatning the entire eco-system of the coral reefs. It is eating all the fish that keep the reefs healthy, and one group has even called the Lionfish a plague of biblical proportions. Some reefs have 1,000 per acre now, with the population expanding 700% in four years. It can live up to 15 years. Oh, and one other thing. It has no natural enemies. The only predator who can wipe it out is us. So there is a big move now to catch and eat this fish out of existance. They are already serving it in restaraunts in Washington, D.C. They say it tastes like a cross between snapper and grouper. Would YOU eat it? I can think of many things we eat that look much scarier or slimier. For instance, lobster, squid, and snails. I wouldn't mind eating him, but what if there were just one of those tiny needle spines left....perhaps the cooks should be sure they health insurance.
First picture taken by me from the newspaper, all others from the web.
"What goes into a man's mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him unclean." Matthew 15:11
19 comments:
Would I eat it? In a word....no. Nope. Nada. :)
I enjoy lobster occasionally(brother-in-law is a diver..but he will often bring over slipper crab for my husband (his favorite)- very delicious..now these are actually pretty photos..but this sounds terrible and quite a lot like the FDA (if you left out dorcels and spines (lol) and replaced venom..maybe? trying to solve the problem (scary)! This is similar to the blow fish too Ginny -but apparently worse! My goodness!!
I would be willing to give it a try. I saw one in an aquarium one time, they are very pretty.
The only way I might eat that is if it was served to me anonymously so that I thought it was something else. The same goes for those other things you mention, by the way...
oooh.. this is one i wont eat.. i dont want to get breathless.. LOL..
That fish is exactly why I don't even wade in the ocean. Before I swim, I walk all around the pool and look at the bottom. I have a horror of stepping on something that I don't know about! You always come up with the most interesting posts--sort of like National Geographic arriving in the mailbox.
Best,
Bonnie
Wanted to comment on our similar UVA experiences. It is a top-notch hospital especially in the aneurysm field but, to this day, I find it depressing to drive past.
I can still picture it all--the drab lobby with awful lighting, the dark hallways, the surgical waiting room, the surgical intensive care unit. Ugh!
Best,
Bonnie
amen to the sripture, i do beleive that with all my heart.
this fish is very beautiful and just like Satan what looks so good, is not good for us. no i would not eat it. the same thing is happeneing in our everglades, boa constrictors are killing all the wildlife. great post ginny, never seen or heard of these and i live here
Even if I didn't know all about it I wouldn't dare eat that fish. It's too cute and too pretty to eat. And now that I know all about it... the more I will not eat it. Nice one Ginny.
Oh, NO, I wouldn't eat it!! It really is beautiful, but beauty can be awfully deceiving!!
In response to your comment on my blog: We really can't base our trust in God on our fickle feelings. I, too, have struggled with that . . . but I'm "learning to lean on Jesus."
Gosh, no! I wouldn't eat it either. And not just because it looks so scary.
I'm not too sure of the 'eating them out of existence' strategy. I think these fish have basically won that battle.
I had never heard of this fish or the damage it is causing to the ecosystem. I'm sure I'd eat after it had been properly cleaned. John Dore, one of the best fish in the world, is also one on the ugliest things Ive ever seen, but it cleans up well :-) I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary
P.S. No cookbook or plan for one for that matter. You flatter me. I appreciate your kindness.
Ugh Ginny.... Too bad someone introduced those things to our country/ocean... What a shame! If that thing taste like grouper--I would probably like the taste. However, I don't want to think about what it looks like before being killed... Yuk... Makes me shiver.
Hope we do something to kill the lionfish though... Sounds like they are terrible to other fish...
YES---those words which come out of our mouths can really hurt sometimes... AND--they cannot be taken back...
Hugs,
Betsy
No, this looks really nasty.... shame they can't catch them and send them somewhere that thinks they are a delicacy.
No thank you. I am more a banana split kinda guy....
I'm not sure I would eat it, although I did eat scorpion on one of my trips to China. So perhaps I would eat it after all!
Being a Veggie, I can never think of eating it!
Anyway, The quotes that you give in the end provide enough food for thought:)
Keep going!
I have heard about the Lion fish in Grand Cayman. They are very worried about it and they don't know what to do. It is a sad story.
Thanks for telling everyone about it.
xxoo
Deborah
You know sometimes people remind me of the locusts - they devour everything in their paths. Do we really have no more intelligence than a mere insect?
I'm appalled!
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