- [Mark] Oh, wow.
I cannot believe you're
about to do this.
- I'm Coyote Peterson,
and I'm about to
enter the spike zone,
with the lionfish.
One.
Two.
Here we go.
Three.
Agh! Gah!
Oh, wow, it's
gettin' worse, guys.
Ugh.
- [Mark] Okay
let's get you home.
(dramatic music)
(mellow music)
- [Mark] Mmm.
It's almost time to head
out to sea, how you feelin'?
- Well, you'd think
I'd be excited,
which I guess I am,
but I'm also out there
looking for my fate,
which is ultimately being
stung by a lionfish.
That's our boat.
- [Mark] All right!
- Watch your step
coming down here.
Life Aquatic?
All right, we we've got a lot
of great space on board here
to set up all of our gear.
- [Mark] We're not diving today,
we're actually gonna free dive.
- Yeah, we are going
to be snorkeling to
get these lionfish,
we'll be in shallower water.
Now they are located
deeper and shallow,
I mean they're all over the
place from what I hear, so,
we've got about six
hours out on the water
and hopefully in
that amount of time
we're gonna come
back with a lionfish.
- [Mark] All right.
- [Coyote] Today
we are heading off
the coast of Islamorada.
We will be searching for
one of these invasive fish
with the ultimate
goal of showing you
how to treat the effects
of their painful sting,
which is often experienced
by both fishermen and divers.
Native to the Indo-Pacific,
these fish were
first reported off of
Florida's Atlantic
Coast in 1985,
and quickly began to spread
up the Eastern Seaboard.
With no natural
predators beside humans
the lionfish has become
invasive enemy number one.
No one knows for
sure how these fish
were introduced to the area,
but their numbers
have increased rapidly
over the last 30 years.
So finding one should
not be that difficult.
(dramatic music)
All right, guys,
well we've made it
to our first dive site.
We're just off of
the Florida Keys.
We've got the shore
in the background,
and we're not too far out.
We can actually see
the bottom of the ocean
just off the back of the boat,
which is perfect for snorkeling.
I'm gonna trade in my
adventure cowboy hat
for a mask, a snorkel,
and a dive suit.
We're gonnah head down there
and try to catch the
notorious lionfish.
This is one of the
most invasive species
out here in these waters,
and our captain tells us
there is a 100% chance
we're gonna catch one,
which means for you guys
I'm definitely
going to be stung.
- [Mark] Oh boy!
- Here we go!
All right Mario!
- [Mario] All right, buddy.
See you later.
(dramatic music)
- [Coyote] Positioned
just off of a shallow reef
we began to explore
the craggy rocks.
The slow moving lionfish
is very distinct with
its feathery looking fins
and calm disposition.
As long as we spotted
one, catching it
should be no problem.
In total we searched
for about 30 minutes.
It didn't take long at
all because soon enough
we had a lionfish in our sights.
(dramatic music)
Okay we got one.
- [Mark] It came
back out, I see it.
- Yep.
- [Mark] It came back
out through the coral.
- It's just floating there.
- [Mark] All right,
let's try to get it.
(dramatic music)
- [Coyote] This was my moment,
time to net the invader.
I held my breath
and kicked hard.
Closing in on the fish,
I scooped forward,
and after a little finesse
of the net, I made the catch.
I did it!
I caught a lionfish.
- [Mark] Woo! Woo!
- [Coyote] Making sure
to keep the spines
away from myself and the crew,
I swam toward the surface.
- [Mark] We have it!
- [Coyote] What a beauty!
- [Mark] Wow, it was
making right for us.
Did you see that?
- [Coyote] Yeah.
- [Mark] Aw man,
did you get that?
- That was awesome.
- [Mark] Wow, okay,
well stay back,
stay back a little bit from me.
Let's head back to the
boat, we got our fish!
- Let's do it!
Woo hoo!
(dramatic music)
- [Mark] There it is,
ladies and gentlemen,
the lionfish.
- [Coyote] There it is.
- [Mark] Give me
that here, I'll uh...
- [Coyote] Can
you bring that up?
Woo, look at that fish.
Beauty too, gorgeous, wow!
- [Mark] There you have it.
Look at those spines.
- I would say that
the stage is set
for me to be stung
by the lionfish.
Okay, let's get it
into this bucket,
and let's get back
to shore. (laughs)
In case you were wondering,
this invasive fish will not be
released back into the wild,
but instead will be
donated to a research group
in South Florida.
- [Coyote] Okay.
- [Mark] I see a
tank, we need a fish.
- Here comes the fish.
Now, I'm gonna just scoop
it up with this spoon,
and plop him into the
aquarium, you ready?
- [Mark] Yep.
- [Coyote] Here he comes,
one, two, three, woop!
There you go, buddy!
- [Mark] Wow.
You can see why people keep
them in their aquariums.
- [Coyote] Oh, they're
absolutely gorgeous.
I mean you can see why
it's called a lionfish.
With those pectoral
fins all spread out
it almost looks like
the mane of a lion.
Now, they're also known
as red zebra fish.
As you can see,
those red stripes
kinda make it look
like a red zebra.
Many different
names for this fish,
but one thing and one
thing only that we know
is that this is an invasive
species here in South Florida,
and they can give you
a pretty nasty prick
with those spines.
Now let's look at some of
the anatomy of this fish.
Wow.
First of all those dorsal
spines that you see
running along the
top ridge of the fish
all 13 of those are
laced with venom.
The venom on these spines
is actually in grooves
that run along the
side of the spines,
and you can see
those fleshy things
hanging off the side, right?
- [Mark] Yeah, what is that?
- [Coyote] See that?
These are actually sheaths
that the spines are in,
so when the fish gets agitated,
those spines come through
the fleshy sheaths,
and then the venom is exposed.
So whatever gets
spined onto there,
has the venom go
into its system.
- [Mark] So those sheaths
actually help put venom
on the spines too, right?
- They do, it kinda
lubricates it with venom
and then when a spine
goes into your hand, well,
that's how the venom
enters your body.
Now, there are a couple
different methods
that I could use
to go about being--
- [Mark] Yeah.
- Spined here.
- [Mark] How are
you gonna do this?
This seems really
precarious to me.
- Well, the most
dangerous thing,
and the thing that would
be really unintelligent
would be to actually put
my hands in like this
and try to pick up the
fish from the side.
Ventral spines are
shorter and thicker,
and they will actually
put more venom into me
than I care to have
put into my body today.
The dorsal spines also will
inflict a lot of venom,
but I want to replicate what
oftentimes happens to divers
when they run into these fish,
which is getting spined
by the dorsal ridge.
So, I'm going to pick
the fish up by its jaw,
it's not gonna hurt it
in anyway whatsoever.
That dorsal ridge of spines
is gonna fan up like that
'cause it's gonna
feel threatened, it's
out of the water,
and I'm going to wack my hand
down on top of the spines
and venom is going
to go into my skin.
- [Mark] Well,
you've gone through
some stings and some bites.
How are you feeling about
this particular
experiment, if you will?
- Well this will be my
first marine stinging.
Technically it's not a
sting, it's a stabbing,
or a barbing, or a spiking.
I'm a little nervous
because I don't know
how my body will react
to marine life venom.
We do have an epinephrine
pen with us, as always.
We're also back
here in civilization
so if anything goes
extremely wrong,
if my body were to go
into anaphylactic shock
we do have local
medical experts on call
ready to receive me if
something bad happens.
- [Mark] And you're
good to go with this?
- No, I'm sweating.
I'm nervous, my heart is racing.
You can see the fish is
completely calm right now,
just there resting
on the bottom of the.
- [Mark] Oh! Oh!
- Ooh.
- [Mark] That's how you get it.
- That scared me.
- [Mark] There's
water all over your--
- He flicked his
tail at me. (laughs)
Yeah, that'll make you jump.
I thought I was gonna get
it from the ventral spines.
There are three large
spines on the back
that they'll flick your
tail and get you with.
He didn't get me
there, which is good,
but I think we're gettin' close.
Okay, we are just literally
a couple minutes away from
me being stung by the lionfish.
You guys know I get nervous
right before I do these things.
Those are some big spines.
I've never been spined by
a marine creature before.
I have no idea how my body's
going to react to this venom,
which makes me
even more nervous.
- [Mark] It is time.
- Go Pro is officially rolling.
Okay, now, I'm gonna
pick the fish up
from the front of its jaw,
and then I'm going to drop
my hand on top of the spikes.
Now, I may be spined
in the process
of getting it out of there.
If that happens I'm just gonna
run with the scene, okay?
Depending on how bad it is.
- [Mark] Okay.
- Okay, I don't know
what's gonna happen.
I'm actually gonna use the
wooden spoon to turn it around.
I wanna hold it
with my left hand.
I'm actually gonna
position it...
Look at that.
Look at how it's turning
the spines into the spoon,
can you see that?
- [Mark] Yeah,
it's instinctively
positioning the spines--
- [Coyote] It sure is.
- [Mark] To attack its predator.
- [Coyote] Okay I'm gonna
try to get it by the mouth.
Ready?
- [Mark] Yep.
Ooh, be careful.
Careful.
- [Coyote] Okay, I've got it.
- [Mark] You have the mouth?
- Got it by the mouth.
There we go.
There it is.
- [Mark] Oh my goodness,
we're here at the moment.
- Look at that display
of those spines.
Wow.
Okay.
Now, I'm gonna drop my
hand down on top of those.
You got a decent shot?
- [Mark] Yeah, can
you position the fish
a little more (mumbles)?
- Yeah, let me kinda hold it
up like that so you can see it.
- [Mark] Oh wow.
I cannot believe you
are about to do this.
Oh, buddy.
- I'm Coyote Peterson
and I'm about to enter
the spike zone
with the lionfish.
One.
Two.
Here we go.
Three.
Agh! Gah!
Agh! Agh!
- [Mark] You all right?
Did he get you?
- Oh, yeah.
- [Mark] How you
feelin' right now?
What's it feel like?
- Agh!
- [Mark] Does it hurt?
- Ooh, pinpricks!
Ooh!
Yep.
- [Mark] Ooh, man.
- It's actually
really not that bad.
But it is, keep in
mind, a neurotoxin.
It's gonna take a couple
minutes for this to set in.
It's not instantaneous like
a wasp, tarantula hawk,
or even the bullet ant.
Here's two of the
spines went in,
there, there, and I think
his body kinda turned.
I got like four spinings.
Agh!
- [Mark] Is it hot?
- Nope, fingers are
gettin' a little stiff.
Agh.
Mmm.
Mmm.
Yep, I'm feelin' somethin' now.
(laughs nervously)
Agh!
Mmm.
Agh!
Hold on a second.
Ooh.
Ooh.
- [Mark] The fish is okay!
- Fish looks good.
"That's what you get," he
says, "For pickin' me up!"
Agh.
Oh, wow.
Yeah, oh, wow.
Oh, it's kind of
comin' in a wave.
Oh, you know what
that's indicative of?
- [Mark] Gila monster.
- Gila monster.
- [Mark] Yep.
- Oh, man.
Oh, man.
All right, I'm gonna take
this thing off of my wrist.
- [Mark] Feeling
any swelling or--
- Yep, I can feel my
arm gettin' tight.
And this is actually
cuttin' off the circulation.
And what you don't wanna do
is cut off the circulation.
Ah, my gosh.
Aw man.
Dude.
Feel my forearm, dude.
That's like instant.
Squeeze under here.
Under there,
- [Mark] Oh yeah.
Jeez, your arm's all...
- Woah, man, yeah.
Ah, it's burning good now.
Agh!
I felt the spikes go in.
Agh!
I though to myself, "Huh,
that's kinda like a pinprick!"
A big pin, but a
pinprick nonetheless.
I kinda got up and said
"It's not that bad."
- [Mark] How long
will this last?
- Oh.
It's gonna last until I get
my hand in some hot water.
Not boiling hot, I want
as hot as I can stand,
because that heat will actually
break down the proteins
in the venom and it should
dissipate, but oh wow.
Okay, it's gettin' worse, guys.
It's gettin' worse
and I'm gettin' dizzy.
- [Mario] Hey, Mark,
should we take him
to get the hot water?
- [Mark] Yeah, I think we
should probably wrap this up.
- Okay, okay.
No, no, no, no, no.
Gotta get an outtro.
Okay.
Well, as we can see, the
sting from the lionfish
is extremely painful.
If you are stung,
seek medical attention
as quickly as possible.
You never know how your
body is going to react
to venom in a
situation like this.
It's an invasive species.
Its' a fish that's very
easy to come across
here in the Southern
part of Florida
and up and down the East
Coast of the United States.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
No, wait, wait.
If you see a
lionfish in the wild,
just admire it from
a safe distance.
It's the most important
thing you could do.
Do not try to
capture these fish.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave.
Stay wild.
We'll see you on
the next adventure.
Okay, I'm gettin' dizzy.
- [Mark] Dude, just sit
down a minute, sit down.
- Ugh.
- [Mark] Okay,
let's get you home.
- Oh, man, dude, I'm
lightheaded, I'm lightheaded.
All right, maybe it is a
little worse than I thought.
- [Mark] Remember
where you got the keys?
- [Coyote] Getting spiked by
a lionfish was pretty bad.
Make sure to stick around and
watch the aftermath episode
where I do my best to
show you how to treat
a lionfish sting.
And don't forget, subscribe!
So you can join me and the crew
on our next aquatic adventure!
