🦁 Lionfish in Punta Cana: Beautiful, Venomous and Invasive

With its feathery fins, red-and-white stripes and slow, graceful hovering, the lionfish is one of the most photographed fish on the reefs of Punta Cana. It is also one that does not belong here. Lionfish come from the Indo-Pacific, and in a few decades they have spread across the western Atlantic and the Caribbean, eating their way through native reef fish as they go.

For divers, the lionfish raises three practical questions: how to avoid being stung, what to do if you are, and what to make of a fish that conservationists actively encourage people to catch and eat. Here are the honest answers.

Quick Facts

• Names: red lionfish, Pterois volitans, and devil firefish, Pterois miles; both invaded the western Atlantic and look almost identical underwater
• Size: usually up to about 38 cm (15 in), sometimes larger in the Atlantic
• Diet: small fish, shrimp and crabs; more than 50 species of fish have been recorded in invasive lionfish stomachs
• Activity: hunts mainly at dawn and dusk; rests under ledges and in holes during the day
• Depth: from about 1 m to 90 m (3 to 300 ft), and recorded far deeper
• Native range: the Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea
• Invasive range: the US East Coast, Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and the coast of South America. The first official record for the Dominican Republic dates from 2008, at Monte Cristi on the north coast.

How to Recognize a Lionfish

Few fish are easier to identify. Lionfish have bold vertical stripes in maroon, reddish brown and white, huge fan-like pectoral fins, and a crest of long, separate dorsal spines that stick up like a mane. Small fleshy tabs above the eyes and on the chin complete the look. They hover almost motionless, often upside down under a ledge or sideways against a wall, and do not bother to flee when a diver approaches. That confidence is a clue: they are protected by venom.

The fish to avoid confusing them with is the native spotted scorpionfish, a mottled, well-camouflaged bottom-sitter with a big head and no long, flowing fins. It is a lionfish relative, it is also venomous, and it belongs here, so it should be left alone.

Behavior: Why Lionfish Are a Problem

In the Caribbean, lionfish have three big advantages. Native prey fish do not recognize them as a threat, so a lionfish can hover close, corner a small fish with its spread fins and swallow it whole, sometimes after blowing jets of water to turn it head-first. Few native predators eat them. And they breed fast: a mature female spawns every few days all year, and NOAA estimates she can release around two million eggs a year, wrapped in floating gelatinous masses that drift on the currents.

The impact is measurable. In a 2008 study in the Bahamas, a single lionfish on a small reef cut the recruitment of young native fish by an average of 79% in just five weeks. Among their victims are young grazers such as parrotfish, which keep algae from smothering coral. Our post on why parrotfish matter explains why losing them is a problem for the whole reef.

Venom and Sting First Aid

A lionfish has 18 venomous spines: 13 along the back, 3 in the anal fin and 2 in the pelvic fins. The venom is delivered only when a spine punctures the skin; the fish does not chase or attack. Stings almost always happen when someone touches a lionfish, kneels near one under a ledge, or handles one after catching it. A sting is intensely painful and causes swelling, and some people feel nausea, sweating or dizziness.

If you are stung:

1. End the dive calmly and get out of the water. Do not rush your ascent.
2. Rinse the wound and remove any obvious bits of spine or debris.
3. Soak the area in water as hot as the person can stand without scalding, around 45 °C (113 °F) at most, for 30 to 90 minutes. Have someone else test the water first, because the pain makes it hard to judge. Heat breaks down the venom.
4. Seek medical care, especially if pain is severe, the wound is deep, or there are signs of an allergic reaction or trouble breathing.

Stings are another good reason to keep your hands to yourself on any reef, along with fire coral.

Where to See Lionfish in Punta Cana

Lionfish are a regular sight on our local reefs, usually alone and tucked into shade. Check the small caves and swim-throughs at Cuevitas, and the boiler, engine and plating of the Wreck Monica, at about 15 m (50 ft), where lionfish like to hang under overhangs. Look under ledges and inside crevices on almost any reef, and keep an eye out at dusk if you are diving late. You can find the lionfish on our species guide.

Why Lionfish Are Culled

Because lionfish cannot be wiped out from the Atlantic, the realistic goal is to keep their numbers down on individual reefs. Across the Caribbean that means regular removal by trained, authorized divers and fishers with spears, nets and traps, plus fishing derbies and campaigns to put lionfish on the menu. In the Dominican Republic, conservation groups and fishing communities, for example around Bayahibe, have run lionfish tournaments and encouraged local fishers to catch and eat them.

As a guest, please do not try to catch or kill one yourself, and never feed a lionfish to an eel or shark: it teaches predators to follow divers. If you spot one, enjoy it from a safe distance and let your guide know after the dive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you eat lionfish?

Yes, and it is excellent: firm, white and mild. The venom is only in the spines, not the flesh, so once the spines are removed the fish is safe to cook. As with other reef predators, ciguatera has occasionally been reported in some areas, so buy from fishers and restaurants who know their local waters.

Is lionfish poisonous or venomous?

Venomous. Poisonous animals are toxic to eat; venomous animals inject toxin, in this case through their spines. Eating a properly cleaned lionfish is not dangerous.

Are lionfish dangerous to divers?

Only if touched. Lionfish do not attack, but a brush with the spines hurts a lot. Keep a good distance, watch your hands under ledges and mind your fins in tight spots.

How did lionfish get to the Caribbean?

Most likely through releases from home aquariums in Florida. The first lionfish was reported off South Florida in 1985, and from there they spread south through the Bahamas and the Caribbean.

Curious to see one for yourself? Join us for a two-tank reef dive in Punta Cana and our guides will show you where they hide, from a respectful distance.