You may have seen bigger ones,

but so far the Red Lionfish caught

by Lavardo Talbot while bottomfishing

for Red Snappers is the

largest officially recorded here.

Weighing a little over 2 1/4

pounds and with a length of almost

17 inches, this little monster

was taken on a live sprat in more

than 400 feet of water!

Presented with ideal habitat and

no predators, Lionfish are becoming

more numerous by the month.

The challenge so far is to keep

popular public areas free of them,

but it will be a continuous effort.