Unreliable weather and the onset of many seasonal diversions have drastically reduced the sports fishing effort. The relative recent dearth of fish also did little to encourage anything in the way of a fishing expedition, even though this situation has changed a bit.

Over the last couple of weeks there have been some reasonable hauls of fish made. The Banks seem to be the preferred fishing ground and boats have returned with mixed bags consisting of wahoo, tuna and various bottom species.

The wahoo are of a respectable average size and are falling victim to the usual trolled offerings. Pink-hued lures are often the ones of choice at this time of the year but the jury is out as to just how much difference the colour of a bait makes. A well-rigged natural bait that swims adequately is often all that is needed to elicit a strike. Naturally, a live bait is probably more desirable but that adds other variables into the equation.

All things considered, trolling at this time of the year probably benefits from being able to do so at higher speeds, allowing for the coverage of more water (or bottom). With the fish having thinned out somewhat, greater coverage probably equates to greater exposure and more chance of encountering hungry fish. For the amateur it only takes one or two wahoo in the boat to make the day a success.

After something of a prolonged absence, there are yellowfin tuna back in reasonable numbers. While they can be caught on the troll, the preferred means is by chumming but that is, to some extent, dependent on the tide conditions. In past years, the currents have obliged and there has been good chumming for Allisons right up to Christmas. Deteriorations in the weather and heavy seas then usually put paid to the operation even though there was a year in the not too distant past when schools of tuna took up winter residence on the south-eastern portion of Bermuda's Edge and some good action was enjoyed there for several weeks into the New Year. Don't expect such things to happen with regularity but, just now, there are some tuna out there and they are willing to please.

Reef fishing is still a popular choice. It makes for a shorter day and less fuel consumption. Most of the fish caught, while not of great sporting value, do provide fillets that are desirable and go a long way toward justifying the expenses involved.

It is getting a bit late for white water snappers (actually Lane snappers) in the channels and while there will be turbots in such areas, the broken bottom (12 fathoms plus) offers more variety. Yellowtails, bonitas, coneys and barbers are pretty reliable and there is always the chance of a red hind or porgy. Although often causally dismissed by some there are actually commercial fishermen who make a living out of catching such fish. Augmenting their lobster catches with readily marketable fin fish is a successful ploy at this time of the year.

Speaking of lobster fishermen, there is the on-going lion fish saga. There seems to be no shortage of them as they grace the lobster traps on a regular basis. In some respects, this is the environmentalist's nightmare come true. Introduced species have generally brought more problems than they have solved even though some of these outcomes might have been relatively benign.

Take the introduction of the kiskadee, for instance, certainly not native to Bermuda, they were brought in to help deal with the cedar scale but found that there were easier ways to make a living and duly multiplied. Considered by many to be a nuisance bird, they are undoubtedly here to stay.

Over the years, a few fish species were introduced but they never seem to have caught on. The French angelfish was brought in and released into the wild but remain unknown locally. An attempt to introduce the Maine or Nova Scotia lobster in the hopes that they would grow faster in our warmer waters also proved a failure. So it would seem that Mother Nature has a pretty good handle on keeping species where they belong.

On another level, one of the main objections to making the Panama Canal lockless, that is just a straight connection between the Atlantic and the Pacific, was that certain species might migrate from the warm waters of the Pacific into the similarly warm waters of the Caribbean. This might mean that undesirable species would be able to spread their range. Among these undesirables were the sea snakes of the Indo-Pacific. Not fish by any matter of means, the wide spread dread of poisonous snakes struck fear into many a sea-goer.

Environmental considerations did not, however, extend to the importation of exotic species into home and public aquaria. Tropical fish breeding was an industry in Florida and the breeding and keeping of exotic species appeared to be no threat to the environment. No threat that is until Hurricane Andrew showed up in 1992

The devastation of Florida apparently resulted in the release of lion fish into the Atlantic where they seem to be doing exceedingly well, having been found along the east coast of the United States, in the Bahamas and here in Bermuda.

The natural history of the lion fish is also interesting. Their gaudy appearance replete with spiny extensions, not to mention a neurotoxin, keeps most other fish at bay. They, on the other hand, will eat just about any other fish, making them a major predator on the coral reef. The fact that they lay thousands of eggs means that the species is well adapted to spreading to anywhere where the conditions are remotely similar to their home in the Indo-Pacific.

The end result is that there is no shortage of them around here. Fishermen have learned that they do make a nice fillet when they are large enough to be worth the effort. So, they are slowly making their way into the commercial fishery here.

In the Bahamas, they have had competitions that are aimed at culling the species but, despite the fact that lots get caught, it doesn't seem to have put much of a dent in the local population. The situation is pretty much the same here.

Perhaps the more serious question is what effect will the lion fish ultimately have on the Bermuda reef fish population? Will it find a balance or will they become the dominant reef species even at the expense of big fish like rockfish (remember that at some point in their lives, they are small too and vulnerable). This will remain to be seen but it does cast into new light a situation that was only indirectly caused by man's intervention.

This week heralds the start of the turkey and ham season with most of us becoming rapidly tired of such fare. The weather usually means that fresh fish will be thin on the ground so a bit of forethought and the judicious use of a freezer may mean that you can have the next best thing to fresh local fish. Of course, it also means that first off, you're going to have to go and get yourself some Tight lines!!!