Over 150 invasive lionfish speared from Gulf coral reef during diving research expedition
Lionfish Invitational has speared more than 1,000 lionfish since 2017.
FILE: Florida lionfish hunt underway
The annual hunt for lionfish off the coast of Florida (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
THE TAKEAWAY
- Over 150 invasive lionfish were caught on a diving expedition in the Gulf.
- Lionfish Invitational happens at least once a year, with researchers and divers from multiple agencies.
- Research includes more than just diving for lionfish and is essential for the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
A diving research expedition, called the Lionfish Invitational, caught more than 150 invasive lionfish on a multi-day excursion 120 miles into the Gulf to spear hunt and study lionfish.
Lionfish are the first invasive, venomous species of fish to establish in the Atlantic and Gulf and kill off native fish species in the Gulf and North Atlantic, according to the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
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ANTALYA, TURKIYE - MAY 25: A lionfish (Pterois), a genus of venomous marine fish, is seen in Kas district, which has different ecological and biological richness under the sea, in Antalya, Turkiye, on May 25, 2025.
(Tahsin Ceylan/Anadolu )
Rachel Bowman, president of Lionfish Invitational, is a scuba diner and commercial harvester of lionfish.
Along with partners from the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and Texas Parks & Wildlife, she organizes dives every year to take researchers and about 15 divers out to coral reefs off the coast of Texas in the Gulf, where they have a federal permit to hunt lionfish for research.
"Lionfish originally come from the Endo-Pacific Ocean, so where Nemo is from, that's where lionfish are supposed to be," Bowman said.
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She explained that lionfish populations grew to extremely high numbers because they are suction feeders.
ANTALYA, TURKIYE - MAY 25: A lionfish (Pterois), a genus of venomous marine fish, is seen in Kas district, which has different ecological and biological richness under the sea, in Antalya, Turkiye, on May 25, 2025.
(Tahsin Ceylan/Anadolu / Getty Images)
"Suction feeders can eat anything basically as big as their mouth," Bowman said.
She said the lionfish go after young fish, and because they are invasive, the native fish, like sharks, groupers and eels, don't recognize them as food.
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"The lionfish get to eat everything, and nothing eats lionfish," she said.
About the diving expeditions
In 2026, Lionfish Invitational was set to have three research diving trips planned — one in June, one in July and another in September.
Unfortunately, the June trip was canceled due to weather, but the July trip got off successfully.
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Rachel Bowman, president of Lionfish Invitational, holding a lionfish after one of the diving expeditions.
(Rachel Bowman/Lionfish Invitational / FOX Weather)
Bowman, researchers and divers went out into the Gulf and spent four days at the end of July doing a variety of tasks for research purposes, including collecting water quality samples, collecting fireworms, swapping out acoustic receivers on decommissioned oil rigs now used for coral reefs that help researchers track fish and spearfishing lionfish.
"We call it summer science camp, but for grownups," Bowman said. "It's really cool. We've got a lot of really cool projects going out there."
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Bowman said because of these acoustic tags that are on fish, they've been able to determine that native species are finally eating lionfish, which is a good sign.
A school of fish on an oil rig turned artificial coral reef
(Texas Parks and Wildlife / FOX Weather)
Since Bowman took over Lionfish Invitational back in 2017, they have speared more than 1,000 lionfish.
On this specific expedition, they were able to spear 157 lionfish.
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In 2018, Bowman said they speared nearly 800 lionfish, but after a sickness hit the lionfish, population plus the research expeditions to spear the fish, their numbers have decreased.
How they do it
Bowman said the area they're permitted to dive in is about 200 meters wide, and each diver is assigned a quadrant they're allowed to remove lionfish from.
After each dive trip, they use the data to tell them how fish populations are doing and how many lionfish there are after being fished on repeatedly over a several-year period.
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She said they're only allowed to dive 100 feet into the ocean, so they spear hunt around the times that lionfish are swimming at a higher depth, typically during the day.
Rachel Bowman and a colleague holding a lionfish after one of the Lionfish Invitational diving expeditions.
(Rachel Bowman/Lionfish Invitational / FOX Weather)
The fish like to hide in the coral reefs, some of which are bouldering coral, which means they overlap each other, Bowman explained.
"Finding these fish is very, very difficult," Bowman said. "They've got lots and lots of places to hide."
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After they've speared the lionfish, they are taken aboard their boat and the researchers take fin clippings, they do gut analyses to see what the fish are eating and they take their ear bones to study them and see how old they are.
MUGLA, TURKIYE - APRIL 19: A lionfish (Pterois volitans) is seen underwater at Asi Bay, located between Iztuzu and Sarigerme in Ortaca district of Mugla, Turkiye on April 19, 2024.
(Tahsin Ceylan/Anadolu / Getty Images)
After they're done with their research, the lionfish are bagged and frozen and taken back to the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in Galveston, where they can be requested by other scientists and researchers for other projects, Bowman said.
Who can join?
Bowman said the only things you need to join the Lionfish Invitational are to be at least 21 years old, have an Advanced Open Water Scuba Diving Certification and be Nitrox certified, which is a special gas mix used when diving.
"You do not need to be a scientist, you do not need to have speared a lionfish before," Bowman said. "You just need to be interested and enthusiastic about doing this."
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RED SEA, EGYPT - DECEMBER 22: A lionfish (Pterois) is seen swimming in Egypt's Red Sea, one of the most important places in the world for underwater richness and home to many species on December 22, 2024.
(Tahsin Ceylan/Anadolu / Getty Images)
Bowman said people from all over the U.S. participate, with all different backgrounds and professions.
Lionfish Invitational will have its next trip Sept. 6 through 10. Applications for the following year's diving trips open on Dec. 1.
For more information on Lionfish Invitational, visit their website.