The Cayman Islands encourage divers to hunt lionfish during their scuba diving holidays

The Cayman Islands is urging diving enthusiasts to help reduce the number of invasive lionfish in the surrounding ocean waters by hunting them with the help of local dive companies.

The island nation is hoping that recreational divers taking scuba diving holidays will get involved with the hunt for lionfish while they enjoy their marine adventures. Dive operators are providing tours for recreational divers so they can go out and cull the fish that are damaging the ecosystem and then sell them to local restaurants, fish markets and food stores.

Dive operators have already noticed a significant fall in the number of lionfish found in the waters over the past few years and the native predators such as eels and sharks are now returning to the waters. Though lionfish are dangerous to the ecosystem, they are perfectly fine to eat once their venomous spikes have been removed.

Lionfish are colourful species with venomous spiky tentacles that are not only used to catch prey but can also be dangerous to fisherman and divers. They are territorial towards other reef fish and because they have no known predators, they pose a threat to reef systems. Lionfish arrived in the waters surrounding the Cayman Islands three years ago and as they continue to multiply, they are threatening smaller fish on the reefs. By removing them, native species in the waters are able to grow again and balance can be restored to the coral ecosystem.

Tourists and recreational divers who are interested in taking part in the hunting tour during their scuba diving holidays must have a scuba diving certification and attend a class to learn about the sea creature and its safe removal from the waters.

“The Cayman Islands is committed to the education and management of lionfish in our marine environment,” explained Premier McKeeva Bush. “With the help of like-minded tourists, the threat of lionfish is being combated and maintaining the waters that have made Cayman a premier diving destination.”

Shomari Scott, the Cayman Islands Director of Tourism said that the lionfish initiative is giving holidaymakers another reason to visit the Cayman Islands and enjoy scuba diving adventures.

“As the birthplace of recreational diving, the pristine waters surrounding Cayman have been drawing divers for years. This initiative is an example of our dedication to sustaining the incredible aquatic environment with the help of the dive community,” Scott commented.

The Cayman Islands is one of the leading scuba diving destinations in the Caribbean and the three islands were honoured at the 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards in Scuba Diving magazine, taking first place in the wall diving category and the overall experience category.

While scuba diving in the Cayman Islands divers can explore the famous 252-foot, 2,200-ton USS Kittiwake that now lies on the ocean bed off the coast of the Seven Mile Beach and is a popular scuba diving attraction as well as a thriving artificial reef.