Unwanted Foreigner - Lionfish Youth SS Tee

From South Florida stretching further North every day, we think of Lionfish as intruders and vermin intent on destroying the habitat and preying on native smaller fish, invertebrates, and mollusks. “Kill ‘em ‘n Grill ‘em” is what we say.

But having said that, we have to admit they’re gorgeous creatures. This work by Peter Agardy is amazing. It is the single most vibrant, explosive and colorful of his work we have put on a shirt. It WILL be noticed! Children will ooh and ah! Fellow fisherman may attempt to throw you overboard! But everyone will have something to say about your shirt.

The painting accentuates the face of the creature, depicting it as almost dog-like, with a kind of “who me?” look. Its oversized mouth can swallow prey in a single gulp. It floats motionless, its venomous tentacles extended.

Shore Thing uses a state-of-the-art screen printing process using up to eleven colors to reproduce Agardy's art. Every bit of our technical expertise was needed to do justice to this murderous peacock of a fish and the art it inspired on a shirt. The shirts themselves are of the best quality preshrunk 100% ring-spun cotton, in a high stitch density fabric. They have shoulder-to-shoulder taping, a double-needle cover-seamed neck, and double-needle sleeves and bottom hems. The short sleeve shirts have a five-point left chest pocket.

That lionfish are pests is beyond dispute. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary licenses divers to kill them inside the sanctuary – the only species it so licenses. The NOAA has even set up a campaign to encourage the killing and eating of it. Though many people are wary of eating a venomous fish, when properly filleted it is a delicious, delicately flavored fish, similar in texture to a grouper. That’s why we have a special version of this work with the legend . “Kill ‘em ‘n Grill ‘em.”