The Most Destructive Fish in the Caribbean — and What One Diver Can Do About It
The lionfish (Pterois volitans) is native to the Indo-Pacific. It has no business being in the Caribbean. It arrived here — almost certainly through home aquariums dumped into Florida waters — and has since spread from the Gulf of Mexico to Brazil with zero natural predators to check its growth.
A single lionfish can reduce the juvenile reef fish population of a coral head by up to 79% within five weeks. It eats constantly, breeds year-round, and is completely unafraid of divers — which makes it uniquely vulnerable to the one intervention that works: a trident, a steady approach, and a clean shot.
Removing them by hand is one of the very few direct actions an individual diver can take that immediately and measurably benefits reef health. CD carries a trident on every dive across the entire Rim Run Caribe™ circuit and hunts wherever local law permits — 11 countries, 2,000+ nautical miles, and every reef in between.
// CD the Lion Hunter
VESSEL: SHAMROCKET (MOOP) · RIM RUN CARIBE™ 2026+
WEAPON: TRIDENT · THEATRE: 11 COUNTRIES / WESTERN CARIBBEAN
Hunting Regulations by Country
Rim Run Caribe™ — 11 Countries| Country | Status | Key Conditions & Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | ✓ Legal | CONAPESCA fishing license; trident / pole spear permitted; year-round; no bag limit on lionfish |
| 🇧🇿 Belize | ✓ Legal | Fisheries license (~$25 BZD); lionfish actively encouraged; multiple organized derbies annually |
| 🇬🇹 Guatemala | ✓ Legal | Standard MAGA fishing license; trident fine; avoid Río Dulce no-take zones |
| 🇭🇳 Honduras | ⚠ Restricted | Lionfish ONLY; Hawaiian sling only (no spearguns); Roatan Marine Park workshop required (~$50, valid 2 yrs) |
| 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | ✓ Legal | INPESCA license; trident permitted; avoid Pearl Cays no-take areas |
| 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | ⚠ Verify | Tourist spearfishing regulated; confirm lionfish exception with INCOPESCA before diving with trident in Cahuita or Manzanillo marine zones |
| 🇵🇦 Panama | ✓ Legal | ARAP license (~$20 USD); Bocas del Toro and San Blas / Guna Yala open; respect Kuna Yala autonomous zone protocols |
| 🇨🇴 Colombia | ✓ Legal | Fishing license; lionfish removal encouraged nationwide; avoid Tayrona NP no-take boundary; active removal programmes in Islas del Rosario |
| 🇦🇼 Aruba | ✓ Legal | No specific spearfishing ban; lionfish removal welcomed; Dutch territory — reasonable enforcement; confirm with DLVV before diving |
| 🇧🇶 Bonaire | ✓ Legal | STINAPA dive registration required (~$45/yr); lionfish removal actively encouraged by Bonaire National Marine Park; trident permitted; one of the most organized removal programs in the Caribbean |
| 🇨🇼 Curaçao | ✓ Legal | CARMABI dive registration; lionfish removal welcomed; trident fine; Klein Curaçao open; check current marine park boundaries |