By: Capt. Lawren McCaghren[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he sport of spearfishing is governed by federal and state regulations, and we have the same size and creel limits as anglers. Spearfishing has been found to be the most environmentally friendly form of fishing due to being highly selective, having no by-catch, causing no habitat damage, nor creating stress or harm to protected endangered species. These facts prove a spearfisherman can harvest their catch without doing any harm to the reef, but can he actually help the health of the reef? Absolutely! The newest target species for us gulf coast hunters is the invasive lionfish. The last few years has seen an explosion in the local population of these beautiful, but extremely harmful fish.
A single female can produce 1 million eggs a year and a very high percentage of those will survive. They have no local natural predator and eat the young of all our prized species. For these reasons a campaign has started with divers to put our spears to work to kill any lionfish we see. Currently, it is the only way to attempt to check this growing problem. They can’t be targeted with hook and line, nor can they be trawled because they only live in close proximity to wrecks and reefs. No effective ideas for developing a commercial fishery have been discovered.
So far, spearfishing is the only proven way to try and keep them in check. We are currently conducting additional dive training for biologist with Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources so they can observe the lionfish on the reefs and develop effective eradication techniques. All in an attempt to eradicate them and protect the strong fishery we enjoy on the gulf coast. Most anglers don’t understand the severity of the problem because they don’t see how the pyramids, tanks and natural bottom are choked with them. Even though a mature lionfish won’t eat a large snapper, it will consume every juvenile, so very few young snapper will survive to adulthood.
Bottom fishing for scamp and gags gets tough and frustrating this time of year because it is hard to get thru the abundant red snapper and triggerfish, both of which are closed seasons. We spearos slip thru the red snapper with a wary eye ready for a curious gag to come check out the “bubble maker”. The proximity of clear water and the abundance of sargassum weed lines creates a unique opportunity for a free diver to slip over the side and shoot a few dolphin and tripletail for the grill. These floating ecosystems can hold any number of priced species including dolphin, tripletail, cobia and kingfish.
Call Gulf Coast Divers at (251) 342-2970 and ask about dive training, spearfishing and underwater videography. Training can be completed in a couple weeks and you can be geared up and ready sooner than you think. Then you can grab your Sealife camera and be uploading You Tube videos after your first trip