Highly ‘Invasive’ Lionfish Species Set To ‘Invade’ U.S. Restaurant Menus: Report
U.S. restaurants are set to showcase a delightfully scrumptious addition to their seafood menu. The lionfish, one of the world’s most stunning fish species, is ready to storm its way into popular cuisine, restaurant menus, supermarkets, and the sizzling platters of the more ardent seafood enthusiasts.
Lionfish are one of the most beautiful creatures of the ocean. However, owing to their rather invasive character they have started to arouse serious concern among ecologists following a largely unprecedented invasion of warm Florida waters in recent years. Originally inhabiting vast swathes of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans, these formidable hunters have swarmed the greater Atlantic as top predators of its pristine coral and hard bottom reefs. They have reportedly obliterated over 70 species of fish native to this territory.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been leading a campaign to encourage people to consume the species as an attempt to mitigate the threat and contain their populations. Similarly, putting lionfish on menus is now an idea that more and more fish vendors, restaurants, and chefs are delighted to introduce. Environmental group REEF, which has been actively associated with organizing lionfish derbies, has encouraged public participation for the removal of the species. It has also introduced The Lionfish Cookbook in order to facilitate awareness for public consumption.
According to the NOAA, its National Marine Sanctuaries “Lionfish Response Plan” is under way to minimize ecosystem degradation in affected sanctuaries as a result of the invasion.
“The population explosion of the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans and Pterois miles) in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean is a serious threat to coral reefs, with potential long-term consequences for native fish communities, habitats, and entire ecosystems. Lionfish are well-known for their venomous spines, rapid colonization rate and generalist preferences for both habitat and diet. Invasive lionfish are capable of causing significant impacts to biodiversity and recovery of coral reefs, a result of their high densities and predation rates on native fish communities.”
According to experts, lionfish invasion can have serious socioeconomic implications, adding to the decline of a host of important fish species. Although the real long-term damage associated with this threat remains largely undetermined, experts are convinced that given the scale of it, the impact on commercial fishing, tourism, and recreation can be massive. These ravenous predators are believed to be proliferating rapidly with female lionfish producing eggs in staggering numbers every year.
“Many thousands of people have eaten lionfish and hundreds of restaurants serve lionfish on their menus in dozens of ways. We have not heard of one food-borne related illness having been reported as it directly relates to properly prepared lionfish. Only the spines contain the venom everyone seems well aware of and even ‘fresh’ venom would not cause poisoning if it were ingested. There is no poison in the flesh of the lionfish meat at all.”
Experts describe the species as a scrumptious, delicately flavored fish, which can be easily prepared. Lionfish is known to rival many other popular fish species namely the snapper or hog fish in terms of overall palatableness and flavor. Many believe that opting for lionfish meat, which is crammed with healthy Omega 3 fatty acids, is in fact a healthier choice than many other fish popularly served across restaurants today.
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