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two Reach's Maria Iticket-son ditsplays eanings she has made from the soft, nonvenomous tail fins of the lion ish. foot-long lionfish. "It was beautiful but there wa, more. Little fish like that always disappear when they are confronted," she explains. "But this one slopped, flared up and swam toward file! I said,'%Vhoa!%Vital is this?'it was unlike anything I'd ever seen." After that first meeting the couple read everything they could 4"0, about lionfish and enlisted in the bal lie to light back against the V71 f marine invaders.They look part in and helped organize"I-ionfish I IRA4 ZP Roundups"and "lionfish Derbies" where divers compete to see r/is, Who can catch and kill the most fish. Their living room %vall is plastered %%ilh plaques they've w-on front the numerous lionfish nn competitions they've attended "The derbies are held to raise �,Nr�ee;s.-v,-,T X public awareness and provide scientists %%ith more specimens ,* they can study,"explains Hickerson- When the couple learned lionfish A had invaded the Indian River Lagoon, their mm backyard. they were doublN alarmed, "It's a huge deal and ven frightening," says flickerson. "It' s one Thing to dive for and remove lionfish in four-pronged spear for killing lion- [tic ocean but because the water is so fish at close range. "We call it 'The murky in the lagoon, it's verj, hard lo F�apper'for the sound it makes when even see them." Maria confesses she has a grudging I.t's released," says Flickerson. Ile is respect for the fish.'This is the perfLcl constantly refining and improving the prodLid and is at work on a neN% predator," she explains, is she licks -n invention to catch lionfish in the off the invader's advantages."It's well- Indian River Lagoon. It's a high-tech armed %0th venomous stinging spines; computerized trap that includes a it's not afraid so it doesn't run away pattern-recognition pro it reproduces like crazy and uses the the honfish' gram keyed to s distinctive look.Maria,a curtents, to disperse its eggs. And it longtime jewelry maker,uses lionfish can live in salt water as well as the la- goon and at depths down to 1,000 feet. tails in her numerous designs. Divers are encouraged to hunt Welcome to the era of the lionfish!" down the predators. In an effort ,\IbLha knows firsthand how ecru- to encourage lionfish eradica- - ciatingly painful a sting from any one Maria urges+peopl,;lo`iave,a Reef,iyear a Li6,?ftsh;" lion, theFlorida .Fish and Wildlife of the ho.nfish's 18 venomous spines - and she offers a Wide rdii.4e.6f on I e-of-a-kind,cus-- -CohservAtion Conirnission reports y. each of which are packed wtonvtnadej with potent ewelr .Seq svi s-A-.1hefrapper.comIjewelry for more information. -ihere,are no minimum size limits, neurotoxins'- can be. She wrijWz es up closed seasons or bak.limits.for rec- her face and remembers,each of the r0atjonal,and,commerci.al harvest of four times shehasbeen stung;the last was the w6rst."I wag ifiving lionfish.No fishing license.is required to catch th6n'i:Restaurants and while putting a honfish in my catch bag one of its spines punt- have cooperated byset-ving,up-the iasly whitefish- . .to curious cus_ tured my hand through my glove.By the time I surfaced to our boat trimers.Publix is fillets:If y6u can't beat in),hand was inflamed and[he pain was excruciating,like it was on them,eat them. `0;6 fire.Th,e pain lasted more Than six hours." Are the Mckersons optimistic or pessimistic about the lion- 186 The Hickersons have developed a slingshot-i\Pe, small, -fish's invasion of the Indian River Lagoon?"It's not looking good 245