Reported 1st by The Sun Heralds. A Saturday morning trip for amberjack, wahoo and tuna, has given Jason Jones of Biloxi a shot at the world record books. Jones’ 1-pound, 11.2-ounce lionfish, caught last Saturday 55 miles south of Dauphin Island, slightly eclipsed the old world record of 1 pound, 10 ounces, which was caught in 2013 off the coast of Port Canaveral, Fla.
“It was a normal trip my friends and I try to make about twice a month. We were fishing at the popular MP-265 rig,” Jones said. “I didn’t have any idea it may be a record, but a buddy on the trip was a professional spear fisherman and he knew right away it had to be a record.”
Alex Fogg, a Gulf Coast Research Lab employee, has verified the weight and length of the fish.
“Jason is in the process of completing world record paperwork,” Fogg said. “The record broken was for hook and line fishing only.”
The state record is pending approval by the DMR and will be decided at a Feb. 24 meeting.
DMR spokeswoman Melissa Scallan said the lionfish and other invasive species are not currently recorded in state record books.
Lionfish are not native to local waters. They feed on native fish and large amounts of crustaceans, but have no natural predators. Lionfish also have poisonous spines that can cause extreme pain and swelling in stung area