Lionfish Invasion: "If You Can't Beat Them, Eat Them."

(Dive Travel Business News - Nov 9, 2011) -- With more than 400 servings of a new menu item last month, Bimini Big Game Club‘s General Manager Michael Weber and Chef Alvarez Bastian have found a recipe to help the environment and sate the most discriminating palate at the same time.

The Bimini Big Game Club’s Panko Breaded Lionfish Nuggets are the talk of the island, a gourmand’s answer to a tasty snack and an eco-solution for helping to rid nearby reefs of an aggressive and non-native predator.

“Our lionfish nuggets have become a huge seller. Though we don’t serve endangered species such as grouper – and we were the first Bahamas resort to feature a shark free marina - we have absolutely no problem turning lionfish into a menu item,” said Weber.

The colorful and charismatic lionfish, a member of the venomous scorpionfish family, are native to the Indian Ocean and South Pacific Ocean.  First observed in Fort Lauderdale in 1985, they appeared in noticeable numbers in the Caribbean Ocean and Florida waters around 2000 and have continued to aggressively breed.  Scientists are quite concerned that lionfish may be completely reinventing the western north Atlantic coral reef ecosystem.

How bad is it? According to Dr. Mahmood Shivji, a professor at Nova Southeastern University and director of the Guy Harvey Research Institute:

“There are enormous concerns that lionfish will completely change and possibly destroy Atlantic coral reefs by overrunning them and shrinking their native biodiversity, and that the ongoing damage is severe and possibly irreparable.  So far, there is no known quick-fix, and the problem is escalating exponentially.”

Weber is quick to admit that turning lionfish into finger food is far from a solution, but with proper cleaning, the lionfish meat is excellent in taste and texture, and any that make it to the table means “they are no longer a threat on the reefs.”

The US federal government’s chief fisheries management agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is in agreement, going as far as developing a campaign to encourage chefs and consumers to do their part in ridding reefs of this invasive predator. Visit NOAA’s web site to download their “Eat Lionfish” brochure.

“If you can’t beat them, eat them,” said Weber.

Acclaimed marine artist and sustainable tourism visionary Guy Harvey opened the Bimini Big Game Club in 2010 as a Guy Harvey Outpost Resort. Located in Alice Town on North Bimini Island in the Bahamas, the property is the first in a system of eco-tourism resorts targeted to attract fishing, diving and boating enthusiasts. Diving Pioneer Neal Watson has partnered with Guy Harvey to provide the diving activities at the resort.  For more information on the Bimini Big Game Club visit the resort website or call 800-867-4764. For the complete recipe for Panko Breaded Lionfish Nuggets a la Bimini Big Game Club, visit the Guy Harvey Blog.

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