Why are people spending $130 on Volitan Lionfish (invasive species)?

[Labora]

I know a lot of this trade is based off supply and demand. Environmentalists are going out killing hundreds of these by the day.

You go online and see videos of hundreds of those things being killed at a time. They are sold to restaurants or just thrown away to feed other animals/fish.

Where is the $$ coming into play? Because of how big they get? Difficulty breeding? My guess is the breeding part is what is making them expensive. Too difficult in an aquarium?

 

[lion king]

Because you can not sell the lions alive in US from regions in which they are considered invasive. The volitans for sale alive in the US are coming from Africa or Asia and the same higher expenses of customs and freight because of the bs covid apply. You can sell them dead to resturants or for your barbeque from Caribbean where they are invasive.

 

[Labora]

OH thanks! That totally makes sense.

 

[ichthyogeek]

Because you can not sell the lions alive in US from regions in which they are considered invasive. The volitans for sale alive in the US are coming from Africa or Asia and the same higher expenses of customs and freight because of the crap covid apply. You can sell them dead to resturants or for your barbeque from Caribbean where they are invasive.

I'm sorry, what???? I'm so very, very confused here. Why wouldn't you want to sell an invasive species to out of wherever the fish is invasive to? Like, I can understand not shipping to Hawaii, or Southern California (near Baja), or even any state that borders the gulf. But there's an entire other ~44 US states (+ Canada!) where the fish isn't going to survive. There is profit to be made here!

 

[btackerman]

I am in Florida and I have not seen one in a long time and I have been present to a bust on an individual. We can keep them as pets but the day we do not want it anymore, it must be killed or sold privately. I was in a store where the owner gave the costumer a credit and a game warden was undercover looking for invasive species and hit the jackpot. So I would say risk is a big factor to.

 

[lion king]

I'm sorry, what???? I'm so very, very confused here. Why wouldn't you want to sell an invasive species to out of wherever the fish is invasive to? Like, I can understand not shipping to Hawaii, or Southern California (near Baja), or even any state that borders the gulf. But there's an entire other ~44 US states (+ Canada!) where the fish isn't going to survive. There is profit to be made here!

I know it's ridiculous but that's the way it is. It is not legal to sell live species from an area which the species has been deemed invasive.

 

[ichthyogeek]

I know it's ridiculous but that's the way it is. It is not legal to sell live species from an area which the species has been deemed invasive.

I wonder if the chameleon and python farmers get the same flack....

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Because you can not sell the lions alive in US from regions in which they are considered invasive. The volitans for sale alive in the US are coming from Africa or Asia and the same higher expenses of customs and freight because of the crap covid apply. You can sell them dead to resturants or for your barbeque from Caribbean where they are invasive.

Dynasty Marine in Marathon sells invasive lionfish, the FWC says this: Lionfish caught in both state and federal waters off Florida can be landed in Florida and sold live in the aquarium trade.

I'm not a lawyer, but it seems to mean that collectors can harvest these fish alive....


Jay

 

[HockeyRooster]

Interesting discussion. Seems crazy to kill these fish in US waters and then still have pet stores bringing them in from another continent.

 

[lion king]

Dynasty Marine in Marathon sells invasive lionfish, the FWC says this: Lionfish caught in both state and federal waters off Florida can be landed in Florida and sold live in the aquarium trade.

I'm not a lawyer, but it seems to mean that collectors can harvest these fish alive....


Jay

I have read articles to the contrary, dont have any saved that I could post. Lfs around here all say they can not get Caribbean/Atlantic lionfish. I know I have never seen one listed for sale, if you notice the regions they are collected from, you'll never see Caribbean.

Are they still selling their volitans from $50-80.

 

[michael_cb_125]

Dynasty marine is a wholesale/collection operation. They more than likely collected the lions themselves.

I am in NC. We offshore fish and spearfish all the time. There are more lions here in nc than in the Caribbean. They are deep and harder to hunt. Rarely will you catch one on rod and reel as they are not too quick.

The lions are found all the way to New York. And along the east coast they settle out on the ledges which hold temp year round. Many of these ledges are too deep to dive.

I do not see us eliminating them fully

 

[Tamberav]

What.. KPA gets them in 30-80 bucks depending on size. Just sign up for their stock list and you will get an email eventually.

Seems it must be legal to sell them since they are based out of FL.

 

[EMeyer]

Same situation as Tubastrea (sun coral). A well-intentioned rule with a negative unintended consequence.

 

[dennis romano]

Caribbean Tropicals in the Keys has them listed for $30.

 

[Squidward]

Would love to go on a lionfish killing spree.

 

[lion king]

After more research it does seem that the lionfish from the Caribbean and Atlantic can be sold to the aquarium trade. So i am now at the loss, i'm in Las Vegas, not a small town, and I've had this conversation with most of the lfs over years. Just 2 weeks ago at a very popular and knowledgeable lfs. So why are we not providing the aquarium trade lionfish from these areas with an invasion problem, rather than to import them from Asia and Africa, doesn't really make sense.

 

[btackerman]

Dynasty Marine in Marathon sells invasive lionfish, the FWC says this: Lionfish caught in both state and federal waters off Florida can be landed in Florida and sold live in the aquarium trade.

I'm not a lawyer, but it seems to mean that collectors can harvest these fish alive....


Jay

Correct it just cannot be from an individual or shipped from another state. You can catch them yourself then sell them if you own a store but as a individual you run into some issues. Florida has banned wildlife due to some invasive species have been released. If you look at banned listings in some sellers shipping section it will actually state who cannot have certain fish shipped to that state. Lion fish is one of the many for Florida