Tureens of tasty fish chowder made from freshly caught lionfish became an interactive exhibit at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo on Saturday.

More than 600 residents and visitors were able to sample the local dish prepared by eight restaurants competing in the Eat'Um to Beat'Um Lionfish Chowder Competition.

The event, now in its second year, was cooked up by the Bermuda Zoological Society to encourage restaurants to use the fish in their recipes — and persuade more people to eat it.

Lionfish are an invasive species in the Atlantic and have been in Bermuda's waters for more than two decades.

They are indiscriminate predators known to feed on more than 70 different types of fish and crustaceans.

Having no natural predators and being able to reproduce quickly, lionfish pose a threat to the natural balance of the island’s reef ecosystems.

Overfishing is not an issue and environmentalists have sought to reduce their numbers.

The BZS said: “Lionfish are venomous, not poisonous, meaning the toxin is only present on some of their spines.

“Thankfully, their meat is delicious and provides a good opportunity to help keep them under control.

“Eat'Um to Beat'Um events are designed to expose the public to lionfish as a delicious food fish and to help create more demand for them.”

That message appeared to be getting across on Saturday.

The aquarium was packed to the gills with visitors sampling warming cups of the island’s national dish served up by the eight competing chefs and restaurants: Butterfield Fine Dining, Chef Roy's, Docksiders, the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, Pickled Onion, Take 5 Ltd, The Spot, and Willowbank.

Demand for a taste of the dish was so great that competing kitchens were running out of supplies before some aquarium visitors could sample a cup.

While chefs may disagree on what makes the most authentic fish chowder — rockfish or grouper heads are traditional ingredients — those competing on Saturday unanimously agreed that lionfish made an excellent substitute.

Tracy Roy, of Chef Roy’s, said she had taken the dish off the menu in recent years, despite winning chowder competitions in the past.

Her husband, Sandip, however, was busy making batches after the restaurant was asked to take part in this year’s contest by one of the event’s sponsors.

“It’s a great event to be part of, great fun and a great atmosphere,” Ms Roy said.

“My husband’s the one who makes the chowder and he thinks lionfish is an excellent addition to it.”

After two hours of taste testing, it was time for the judging, by both a panel of experts and visitors, who submitted paper slips listing their top three choices.

The Hamilton Princess was awarded first place by the judging panel, with Butterfield Fine Dining and The Spot taking runners-up places.

But Butterfield Fine Dining proved to be the popular favourite, taking first place in the People's Choice award. Willowbank and Chef Roy were runners-up.

After prizes were presented, Ian Walker, the principal curator at BAMZ, said the event was a success.

He said: “We had another great turnout, between 600 and 800 people, and a real cross-section of the community.

“It’s become a really popular event and a fun way that we can educate people about the lionfish and encourage people to eat them.

“There’s a dedicated team of fishermen who are going out in all weathers catching lionfish to help reduce their numbers.

“In the case of lionfish, overfishing is actually a good thing.“

Entry to BAMZ was free during the competition, which was sponsored by Butterfield & Vallis, Gosling’s Ltd, and Outerbridge's Originals.

• For more information on the Bermuda Lionfish Taskforce, visitlionfish.bm