Red lionfish
Fish · Last reviewed 2026-08-17
A spectacular venomous Indo-Pacific reef fish that has invaded the western Atlantic and Caribbean, eats juvenile reef fish faster than the reef can replace them, and is the one animal in this catalogue where spearing it is the conservation action rather than the cost of one.
Safety
Venomous and spined species — Can cause serious injury or death
Eighteen venomous spines — thirteen dorsal, three anal, two pelvic — deliver an envenomation causing immediate severe pain, swelling and sometimes systemic effects. The spines remain dangerous on a dead fish for a long time, and a large share of stings happen on the boat, in a bag, or during preparation rather than in the water.
What reduces it: Puncture-resistant gloves, a rigid containment tube or purpose-made bag rather than a stringer, and shears to remove all eighteen spines before the fish goes near anything else. If stung, immerse in water as hot as can be tolerated without scalding for thirty to ninety minutes and seek medical attention. End the dive.
Worse when:
- Loose fish in a shared catch bag, which endangers whoever reaches in next
- Handling on a moving boat
- Cleaning fish later, when the hazard has been forgotten
Encounters with marine life — Can cause injury needing treatment
Lionfish hover against structure and under ledges and do not move away from an approaching diver. A hand or knee placed on reef, or a diver backing into an overhang, can make contact.
What reduces it: Look before placing any part of yourself against reef. Maintain awareness of where the fish is throughout the approach and the shot, not only during it.
Worse when:
- Overhangs, wrecks and caves
- Night diving
- Poor visibility
Almost every species record in FishingHQ carries some version of the same tension: taking the fish has a cost, and the record explains it. This one inverts it.
THE FISH. A red lionfish is unmistakable — banded red, white and brown, with enormously elongated pectoral fin rays fanned out like a cape and eighteen venomous spines: thirteen dorsal, three anal, two pelvic. It hangs in the water almost motionless, hovers over reef, and drifts up to prey rather than chasing it.
THE INVASION. Lionfish were introduced to the western Atlantic in the late twentieth century, almost certainly through the aquarium trade, and spread with extraordinary speed through Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and down to Brazil. Densities on invaded reefs reached levels far above anything recorded in their native range.
WHY IT WORKS SO WELL. Atlantic reef fish did not evolve alongside it and do not recognise it as a predator. It eats an extremely wide range of juvenile fish and crustaceans, it reproduces continuously and prolifically, it tolerates a wide range of depths and salinities, and it has effectively no predators in the invaded range that have learned to take it. Studies on invaded reefs have recorded severe reductions in the recruitment of native fish.
AND THE RESPONSE IS DIVERS WITH SPEARS. Removal by divers is one of the few control measures that demonstrably works locally, and lionfish derbies, culls and market development are organised across the invaded range. That makes this the single species in the catalogue where the spearfishing argument runs the other way — and it does not make the fish less venomous.
Identification
FishingHQ holds no photograph of this species whose identity and licensing it can vouch for, so it is not showing one. Misidentified fish photographs teach identification wrongly, and a picture with an unchecked caption would be worse than none. The identification points below are what to look at instead.
- Scientific name
- Pterois volitans
- Family
- Scorpaenidae
- Water
- Saltwater
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
- Regions
- Caribbean, North America, Central & South America, Indo-Pacific, South-East Asia, Australia, Mediterranean
- BANDED RED, MAROON, BROWN AND WHITE in vertical stripes over the whole body and head. Unmistakable and unlike anything native to the Atlantic.
- ENORMOUSLY ELONGATED PECTORAL FIN RAYS, fanned outward like a cape and often separated into free filaments — the feature that makes the fish recognisable at a distance and in a photograph.
- EIGHTEEN VENOMOUS SPINES: thirteen in the dorsal fin, three in the anal fin, two in the pelvics. The long dorsal spines project well beyond the membrane.
- FLESHY TENTACLES ABOVE THE EYES and around the mouth, varying between individuals.
- HOVERS RATHER THAN SWIMS, frequently head-down against reef, under ledges and around structure, and shows almost no flight response to a diver.
- THE DEVIL FIREFISH, Pterois miles, is effectively identical in appearance and habit, invades the Mediterranean from the Red Sea, and should be treated in exactly the same way. Distinguishing the two reliably requires fin-ray counts.
Size
- Typical
- 20–35 cm.
- Large
- Over 40 cm is a large lionfish.
Exceptional: Around 47 cm is the widely reported maximum, and invaded-range fish frequently grow larger than those in the native range.
Lifecycle and reproduction
Fast, prolific and continuous, which is most of the invasion story. Lionfish mature within a year, and females in warm water spawn year-round at intervals of a few days, releasing buoyant gelatinous egg masses containing tens of thousands of eggs. Larvae drift for around a month, which is long enough for ocean currents to carry them across the whole Caribbean. Growth in the invaded range has been recorded as faster and to greater size than in the native range, consistent with abundant naive prey and released predation pressure.
Continuous year-round spawning in warm water, with buoyant egg masses released after a courtship that occurs at dusk. The reproductive output is the mechanism: a population that spawns every few days, from an age of under a year, with a month-long dispersing larval stage, cannot be controlled by removing adults from one reef and expects to recolonise. That is why local culling works locally and does not eradicate, and it is why control programmes are framed as ongoing management rather than as elimination.
Feeding and senses
An ambush predator that hunts by drifting. Lionfish approach prey slowly, spread and use the pectoral fans to herd small fish into a corner, and take them with an extremely fast suction strike — occasionally accompanied by a jet of water directed at the prey to turn it head-on. The diet is very broad: juvenile reef fish of many families, small crustaceans, and effectively anything that fits. Stomach contents from invaded reefs routinely contain a wide range of ecologically and commercially important juveniles, which is the specific mechanism of the damage.
Vision for the strike, with the fleshy tentacles and lateral line supplying close-range information. The behaviourally significant point is what it does NOT have: any flight response to a large approaching animal. In the native range that is because it is venomous and known to be; in the invaded range it means a fish that will hover while a diver lines up on it, which is what makes culling practical.
Through the year
Resident and non-migratory, present year-round on reef and structure. Depth range in the invaded Atlantic runs from a few metres to well over a hundred, and the deep populations are effectively beyond the reach of the divers doing the culling — which is one of the main reasons control has limits.
Distribution
Native to the tropical Indo-Pacific from the Indian Ocean through Indonesia and Malaysia to Australia, Japan and the western Pacific. Introduced and now established across the western Atlantic from the south-eastern United States through the Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and south to Brazil, on reef, wreck, rubble, mangrove and artificial structure from shallow water to over a hundred metres. Its close relative Pterois miles has invaded the Mediterranean via the Red Sea and is spreading rapidly.
This is a biological range — where the species occurs, not a prediction that you will catch one. To browse the fishing geography FishingHQ holds, start at fishing places.
Why anglers care
The species that inverts the argument. Spearfishing and hand-netting for lionfish is actively encouraged across the invaded range, organised into derbies and culls, and supported by market development for the fillets — which are white, delicate and entirely safe to eat once the spines are removed, the venom being a protein in the spine tissue rather than anything in the flesh. For a spearfisher visiting the Caribbean it is the one target that is unambiguously a contribution, and for a catalogue that spends most of its species records explaining the cost of removal, it is the necessary counter-example. It is also caught on rod and line, though not deliberately by most people.
Handling and returning
The venom is in the spines and the flesh is entirely safe to eat, which surprises people and is worth stating plainly. That said, the spines remain dangerous on a dead fish, for a long time. Use puncture-resistant gloves, a dedicated lionfish containment tube or a purpose-made bag rather than a stringer, and cut the spines off with shears before the fish goes anywhere a hand will follow. Never put a lionfish loose into a catch bag with other fish. If stung, the same first aid applies as for a scorpionfish — hot water immersion, then medical attention — and the dive ends there.
WHAT MAY BE TAKEN, BY WHAT MEANS, IS NOT ON THIS PAGE. Spearfishing law, protected areas, size limits and gear restrictions differ sharply between neighbouring countries and are revised. Check the current position with the authority for the water concerned before entering it.
How an aquarium fish took the Caribbean, and why culling is management and not eradication
THE SPREAD WAS EXTRAORDINARILY FAST. From a small number of releases off the south-eastern United States in the late twentieth century, lionfish established through Florida, the Bahamas and the wider Caribbean within roughly two decades, reaching densities on some invaded reefs far higher than anything recorded where they are native.
FOUR THINGS MADE IT POSSIBLE, and they compound.
NAIVE PREY. Atlantic reef fish did not evolve with lionfish and do not recognise the shape as a predator. Prey that does not flee is prey that gets eaten.
NO PREDATORS THAT KNOW BETTER. Native Atlantic predators do not readily take a venomous fish they have no history with. Attempts to teach groupers to eat culled lionfish have been tried and are not a strategy.
EXTREME FECUNDITY. Mature within a year, spawning every few days year-round, tens of thousands of eggs per spawning, larvae drifting for around a month on currents that connect the whole basin.
AND A HUGE ENVIRONMENTAL TOLERANCE. Reef, wreck, rubble, mangrove, artificial structure; a few metres to well over a hundred; a wide salinity range that takes them into estuaries.
THE DAMAGE IS TO RECRUITMENT. Lionfish eat juveniles, across a very wide range of families, including the herbivores that keep algae off coral and the juveniles of commercially important fish. Studies on invaded reefs have documented severe reductions in native recruitment where lionfish are dense.
SO WHY CULL AT ALL? Because it works locally and demonstrably. Sustained removal on a defined reef reduces density and allows native fish to recover there. What it cannot do is eradicate: the deep populations are beyond breath-hold and mostly beyond recreational diving, and larvae arrive from elsewhere continuously. Control programmes are honest about this and describe themselves as ongoing management of priority sites.
AND THE MEDITERRANEAN IS NOW DOING THE SAME THING. Pterois miles entered via the Red Sea and is spreading through the eastern Mediterranean, with removal programmes following. A European spearfisher who has read this page in a Caribbean context may need it closer to home.
Scientific evidence
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
- NOAA research and management guidance on the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish — NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The invasion history, ecology, impact and control of Pterois volitans and P. miles in the western Atlantic and Caribbean, including the role of removal by divers.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic identification characters, family placement, depth range and distribution as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the region concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: International principles for responsible fisheries, including selectivity, the treatment of by-catch and the management of small-scale and artisanal fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Taking one safely: containment, shears, and the sting that happens on the boat
Lionfish are speared, netted and hand-collected in very large numbers by people who mostly do not get stung, because the equipment and the sequence are well established.
THE FISH WILL LET YOU GET CLOSE. Almost no flight response, hovering against structure, often head-down under a ledge. That is what makes a short spear, a pole spear or even a hand net practical, and it is why the activity does not require the stalking skill most spearfishing does.
CONTAINMENT, NOT A STRINGER. The standard equipment is a rigid containment tube or a puncture-resistant bag designed for the job, into which the fish goes and out of which a hand does not have to come. Putting lionfish on a stringer or loose in a general catch bag is how divers get stung, and it is how the next person to reach into that bag gets stung.
SHEARS BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE. Cutting the eighteen spines off is the standard first step once the fish is out of the water and it removes the hazard permanently. Do it before the fish joins anything else.
GLOVES THAT ACTUALLY RESIST PUNCTURE. Ordinary dive gloves are not adequate against a lionfish spine.
THE FLESH IS SAFE AND VERY GOOD. The venom is a protein associated with the spines, not a property of the muscle, and lionfish fillets are white, firm and entirely safe. Ciguatera is a consideration in some areas as it is for other reef fish, and that is a local question rather than a lionfish question.
IF STUNG: hot water immersion, as hot as can be tolerated without scalding, for thirty to ninety minutes, then medical attention. Retained spine fragments need removing and marine puncture wounds infect readily. End the dive. A person in that much pain, some way offshore, with one hand not working, should not be in the water.
AND THE USUAL CAVEAT APPLIES EVEN HERE. That lionfish removal is encouraged in many places does not mean spearfishing is permitted where you are standing, that a particular reserve allows it, or that no permit is required. Several jurisdictions with active lionfish programmes also have strict spearfishing rules.
WHAT MAY BE TAKEN, BY WHAT MEANS, IS NOT ON THIS PAGE. Spearfishing law, protected areas, size limits and gear restrictions differ sharply between neighbouring countries and are revised. Check the current position with the authority for the water concerned before entering it.
Authoritative guidance
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
- NOAA research and management guidance on the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish — NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The invasion history, ecology, impact and control of Pterois volitans and P. miles in the western Atlantic and Caribbean, including the role of removal by divers.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- UK Diving Medical Committee guidance on medical standards for divers — UK Diving Medical Committee (Water-safety or diver-training authority)Relied on for: Medical guidance relevant to divers, including the management of marine envenomation and the assessment of fitness to dive.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- CMAS technical and sporting standards for underwater activities — Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (Standards body)Relied on for: Breath-hold diving and spearfishing practice, training structure and safety expectations as set out by the international underwater federation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- BlueWater Hunting and Freediving — BlueWater Freedivers, Ventura, California, 1995 (Practitioner report)Relied on for: Spearfishing practice: approach, quarry behaviour, shot placement and the handling of speared fish, from a practitioner tradition distinct from the European one.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Where to go next
How it is caught
- Reef spearfishingSeagrass and mangrove edges are searched alongside reef during lionfish culls, because the fish uses all three and a cull that only covers reef leaves a reservoir behind.
- Shore divingMuch invaded-range culling is done from shore on breath-hold in shallow reef and structure, which is where the fish are densest and most reachable.
What these connections rest on (2)
Practitioner consensus — 2 connections
Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.
Reef spearfishing
Practice, recorded as practice.
- CMAS technical and sporting standards for underwater activities — Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (Standards body)Relied on for: Breath-hold diving and spearfishing practice, training structure and safety expectations as set out by the international underwater federation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- BlueWater Hunting and Freediving — BlueWater Freedivers, Ventura, California, 1995 (Practitioner report)Relied on for: Spearfishing practice: approach, quarry behaviour and the handling of speared fish, from a practitioner tradition distinct from the European one.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
What divers actually use a technique for, recorded as convention.
- CMAS technical and sporting standards for underwater activities — Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (Standards body)Relied on for: Breath-hold diving and spearfishing practice, training structure and safety expectations as set out by the international underwater federation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- BlueWater Hunting and Freediving — BlueWater Freedivers, Ventura, California, 1995 (Practitioner report)Relied on for: Spearfishing practice: ground, approach, quarry behaviour and the handling of speared fish, from a practitioner tradition distinct from the European one.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Shore diving
Practice, recorded as practice.
- CMAS technical and sporting standards for underwater activities — Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (Standards body)Relied on for: Breath-hold diving and spearfishing practice, training structure and safety expectations as set out by the international underwater federation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- BlueWater Hunting and Freediving — BlueWater Freedivers, Ventura, California, 1995 (Practitioner report)Relied on for: Spearfishing practice: approach, quarry behaviour and the handling of speared fish, from a practitioner tradition distinct from the European one.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Where it lives
- Brackish waterAn unusually wide salinity tolerance takes lionfish into estuaries and mangrove systems, which is part of why the invasion has been so difficult to contain.
- Coral reefReef, wreck, rubble and artificial structure across both its native Indo-Pacific range and the invaded western Atlantic, from shallow water to well over a hundred metres.
- MangrovePart of why the western Atlantic invasion has been so difficult to contain: lionfish tolerate the low salinity of mangrove and estuarine systems and occupy them as well as reef.
What these connections rest on (3)
Scientific evidence — 3 connections
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
Brackish water
A distributional claim resting on the regional identification and fisheries literature rather than on angling report.
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: UK marine science: distribution, habitat association, shellfish and crustacean monitoring, and the biological basis of management advice.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Habitat, depth range and distribution as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the region concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Coral reef
A distributional claim resting on the regional identification and fisheries literature rather than on angling report.
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: UK marine science: distribution, habitat association, shellfish and crustacean monitoring, and the biological basis of management advice.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Habitat, depth range and distribution as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the region concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Mangrove
A habitat association resting on the invasion literature rather than on angling report.
- NOAA research and management guidance on the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish — NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The habitat range of Pterois in the invaded western Atlantic, including its use of mangrove, estuarine and artificial structure alongside coral reef.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Habitat association and distribution of the species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Where you will find it
- GreeceAn arrival from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal, now established in the eastern Mediterranean. Its presence in Greek water is recent enough that a visitor's field guide may not contain it and its spines are venomous.
- The Egyptian Red Sea coastNative here rather than invasive, which is the other half of the Caribbean story: the same species that is being culled across the western Atlantic belongs in this sea.
What these connections rest on (2)
Scientific evidence — 2 connections
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
Greece
That a species occurs in these waters, drawn from distribution science and stock assessment. It is a statement about where the animal lives and is not a statement that anybody will catch one, still less where.
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Identification, distribution and habitat association of the fishes and invertebrates of the Mediterranean and Black Sea.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Recorded distribution, depth range and habitat association of the species named.States this directlyPassage read and verified
The Egyptian Red Sea coast
A distributional claim about where a species occurs, resting on the regional identification literature rather than on angling report. It says nothing about where a reader should fish.
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Species composition, habitat association and distribution for the region concerned, as set out in the FAO species identification sheets.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Global assessment and distribution for the species concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Understanding this fish
- Decapod crustaceans as preySmall crustaceans form a substantial part of the diet alongside juvenile reef fish, and the literature describes the crustacean component at group level.
- Invasive species, and where spearfishing genuinely helpsThe record that named the lionfish before the lionfish existed here, and the argument for the one case in this catalogue where taking a fish is the conservation action.
- Marine-life hazards for divers, in proportionA fish that will not move out of the way of a hand or a knee on reef.
What these connections rest on (3)
Scientific evidence — 1 connection
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
Decapod crustaceans as prey
A diet claim recorded at group level, pointed at a modelled prey CATEGORY, because the reference works describe the diet as a group rather than by species. Naming a particular species the catalogue happens to hold would invent a precision the evidence never had.
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: UK marine science: distribution, habitat association, shellfish and crustacean monitoring, and the biological basis of management advice.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Habitat, depth range and distribution as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the region concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Practitioner consensus — 2 connections
Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.
Invasive species, and where spearfishing genuinely helps
An explainer that carries the mechanism the subject record depends on.
- CMAS technical and sporting standards for underwater activities — Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (Standards body)Relied on for: Breath-hold diving and spearfishing practice, training structure and safety expectations as set out by the international underwater federation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- BlueWater Hunting and Freediving — BlueWater Freedivers, Ventura, California, 1995 (Practitioner report)Relied on for: Spearfishing practice: approach, quarry behaviour and the handling of speared fish, from a practitioner tradition distinct from the European one.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Marine-life hazards for divers, in proportion
An explainer that carries the mechanism the subject record depends on.
- CMAS technical and sporting standards for underwater activities — Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (Standards body)Relied on for: Breath-hold diving and spearfishing practice, training structure and safety expectations as set out by the international underwater federation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- BlueWater Hunting and Freediving — BlueWater Freedivers, Ventura, California, 1995 (Practitioner report)Relied on for: Spearfishing practice: approach, quarry behaviour and the handling of speared fish, from a practitioner tradition distinct from the European one.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Told apart from
What these connections rest on (1)
Practitioner consensus — 1 connection
Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.
Red scorpionfish
A comparison a reader with the animal or the decision in front of them actually needs, joining two records that resolve one another.
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: UK marine science: distribution, habitat association, shellfish and crustacean monitoring, and the biological basis of management advice.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Habitat, depth range and distribution as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the region concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Scientific evidence — 1 connection
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
Red scorpionfish
Taxonomic and practical relatedness recorded because confusable species matter more to a reader than a shared family does, with the evidence naming the species the edge is about.
- The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Identification characters, family placement and biology of Pterois volitans and of the species it is confused with, as set out for the fauna of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters and family placement of Pterois volitans as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the region concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Safety reading
What these connections rest on (1)
Authoritative guidance — 1 connection
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
Venomous and spined fish
A link to a safety topic substantial enough to be read in full.
- RNLI water safety guidance: cold water shock and Float to Live — Royal National Lifeboat Institution (Water-safety or diver-training authority)Relied on for: Water safety guidance for coastal and inland users.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Rules and access
What these connections rest on (1)
Authoritative guidance — 1 connection
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
Method and bait restrictions
A link to a rule CONCEPT rather than to any rule. The record carrying it renders the regulatory-variance notice.
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: The structure of angling regulation and representation in England, and the framework within which anglers are asked to check local rules.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: UK conservation designation and the framework of protected species and habitats.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Environment and conservation
What these connections rest on (1)
Scientific evidence — 1 connection
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
Invasive species and biosecurity
An environmental effect attached to the thing that causes it, resting on an authoritative source rather than on advocacy.
- NOAA research and management guidance on the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish — NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The invasion history, ecology, documented impact on native reef fish recruitment, and the control programmes for Pterois in the western Atlantic.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global assessment and distribution of the species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Check the rules before you fish
Fishing laws, bylaws, access rules, seasons, bait restrictions and permitted methods vary by location and can change. Check the current rules from the relevant authority and the water you intend to fish before fishing.
Check with:
- Current national or regional law for where you are fishing
- Current local bylaws
- The relevant fisheries authority
- The landowner, club or fishery whose water it is
- Any restrictions specific to the species or the method you intend to use
Sources for this page
- NOAA research and management guidance on the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish — NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The invasion history, ecology, impact and control of Pterois volitans and P. miles in the western Atlantic and Caribbean, including the role of removal by divers.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic identification characters, family placement, depth range and distribution as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the region concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List category and the assessment behind it, assessed 11 January 2022. A statement about the species across its range and not about any managed stock.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- UK Diving Medical Committee guidance on medical standards for divers — UK Diving Medical Committee (Water-safety or diver-training authority)Relied on for: Medical guidance relevant to divers, including the management of marine envenomation and the assessment of fitness to dive.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
How FishingHQ labels evidence is explained in the evidence policy.