Lionfish
Pterois volitans
Where to see it
Under ledges and in crevices on almost any reef, usually hanging head-down and motionless. Also on the menu at dozens of restaurants on Roatan and Utila.
When
All year
Status
Least Concern
Beautiful, venomous and in the wrong ocean. Lionfish are an Indo-Pacific species that reached the Bay Islands around 2009, almost certainly descended from aquarium releases in Florida, and they eat young reef fish at a rate no native predator can match. Nothing here recognizes them as food, so they have spread onto almost every reef.
The response has been to hunt them. The Roatan Marine Park trains and licenses divers to spear lionfish, and the catch goes to restaurants: it is now on the menu at dozens of places on Roatan and Utila, a mild white fish that is the one thing on the reef you are encouraged to eat. The spines are venomous, so leave the handling to people with gloves. Our lionfish guide has the full story.