Beautiful but highly destructive: On the hunt to kill elusive, invasive lionfish on Florida’s reefs
Drifting in the slight chop of the Atlantic Ocean a mile off Florida’s eastern coast, small groups of divers armed with spears and a purpose tumbled deliberately backward off the boat into the sea so deeply blue it was the hue of ripe blueberries.
Diving as deep as 100 feet below the surface, they scoured rocky and coral outcroppings for elusive, invasive lionfish to kill as many of them as possible.
With venomous, featherlike spines, the beautiful fish – distinguished by their red, brown and white stripes – threaten Florida’s reef ecosystems so dangerously that the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has organized contests to reward recreational and commercial divers who kill...
