Lionfish - It's what's for dinner!

Lionfish - If you don't know what they look like, the mere mention of them conjures up images of mythical creatures like that of the Griffin or the Sphinx.  Their fins, like the mane of a lion, float around their head like the hair of Medusa, and yet for thousands of years, these venomous fish have lived harmoniously in their natural waters of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans.  

It wasn't until the 1980s that we noticed that these fish had made their way into the Atlantic Ocean. There have been many theories throughout the years as to how they got there, but most experts agree it is due to humans dumping their beloved aquarium fish into the ocean. Well, that is fine if you live in California, but here on the East Coast, it is wreaking havoc with the fish that naturally live among the coral rock of the Atlantic and Caribbean waters.

In Greek mythology it is said that the Sphinx would ask passers-by a riddle and if they couldn't answer it, the Sphinx would ravenously eat them and take their treasure; and so it seems is the way of the lionfish. Here in the Atlantic Ocean, one lionfish can eat up to 60 fish a day, pushing some vital reef fish toward extinction, robbing the native fish of their food source, and devastating our treasured coral reefs.

So how do we answer the lionfish riddle?  Ask for them at your local restaurants. Yes, these little monsters are quite tasty and the more demand there is for them, the more the fisherman will fish for them.  So if you want to help solve the riddle and help the environment, eat lionfish… It's what's for dinner!