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Ken Ayers Jr.听(MTeleComm鈥�87) is听doing more than his fair share to fight听back against Florida's invasive lionsfish problem.

贵濒辞谤颈诲补听丑补蝉听补听濒颈辞苍蹿颈蝉丑听辫谤辞产濒别尘.

The invasive sea creature, though remarkable to look at, is destroying marine听ecosystems by eating everything in sight.

Ken Ayers Jr.听(MTeleComm鈥�87) is听doing more than his fair share to fight听back. He was named the state鈥檚 2017听Lionfish King after removing 1,250 invasive lionfish off the coast in a statewide听competition. And he鈥檚 still at it.听

鈥淭he only way right now to successfully hunt lionfish is with a pole spear while听diving,鈥� said Ayers, an Air Force veteran听and master dive instructor with more听than 1,700 dives under his belt.

Last year, Ayers and fellow participants removed 26,321 lionfish during听the four-month competition, sponsored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife听Conservation Commission. This year鈥檚听Lionfish Challenge started May 19 with听the fourth annual Lionfish Removal and听Awareness Day and runs until Sept. 3.听

This time, Ayers is shooting to catch听1,500 lionfish.听

An aquarium staple, the lionfish is听famous for its colorful vertical stripes,听18 venomous spines and feathery fins.听It鈥檚 native to the South Pacific and听Indian Oceans and is part of the scorpionfish family.听

The exact cause of Florida鈥檚 lionfish听invasion is unknown, but many experts听speculate the species was introduced to听local waters in the 1980s, when citizens听began releasing unwanted aquarium fish听into the Atlantic Ocean. More are said听to have escaped from damaged tanks听when Hurricane Andrew swept across听the Bahamas and Florida in听1992.听

Once introduced, the fecund fish听spread through the marine ecosystem听like wildfire. According to the National听Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a single female lionfish can spawn听more than two million eggs a year.听

This is where Ayers comes in.听

After retiring from the Air Force听in 1995, he moved to Hawaii, where听he learned to scuba dive. When he听moved back to Florida in 2013, he听started to spearfish.听

That year, Ayers shot 95 lionfish off听the coast of Panama City in Florida,听where he lives.听

鈥淎fter that, I was hooked,鈥� he said.听

On one of Ayers鈥� first lionfish hunts,听he got distracted by all the colorful fish听and lost track of how much oxygen was听in his tank.听

鈥淏efore I knew it, I was down to less听than 100 [cubic feet] in my tank,鈥� he听said. 鈥淵ou should end your dive at 500听so you can make a safe ascent and do a听safety stop.鈥澨�

If a diver collects too many fish in one听dive, they can be buoyed to the surface听by the dead fishes鈥� expanding swim bladders. Ken learned this the hard way, after听collecting 55 lionfish and finding himself听rocketed upwards.听

Invasive lionfish are found along the听southeast coast of the U.S., the Caribbean and in parts of the Gulf of Mexico.听They infest coral reefs and feed on more听than 50 species of fish and crustaceans.听

Since lionfish have no natural predators听in Atlantic waters and reproduce abundantly, they can upend the food chain by听eliminating native plants and animals and听monopolizing limited resources.听

The lionfish boom has serious implications for marine ecosystems, and the听problem is unlikely to go away soon, if听ever 鈥� despite Ayers鈥� efforts.听

Still, one way to fight back, he says, is听to fry up the fish for dinner.听

Seafoodwatch.org, a website for听environment-conscious fish eaters,听lists lionfish as a 鈥淏est Choice鈥� option:听鈥淲hen you buy lionfish, you鈥檙e helping听to prevent the spread of this invasive听species in U.S. waters.鈥澨�

Ayers鈥� favorite way to eat lionfish is听pan-fried and smothered in butter.

His cats prefer it sashimi-style.

听

Top photo by @iStock/abadonian; Photo听courtesy of Ken Ayers Jr.