Lionfish Population Has Scientists Worried

PlusLionfish Population Has Scientists WorriedLionfish Population Has Scientists WorriedThe Associated PressScientists and Caribbean governments alike are watching with alarm as the invasive lionfish sweep through the western Atlantic. The venomous lionfish are considered a danger to people, coral reefs and commercial fisheries. (August 4)Netting these beautiful but dangerous fish in the Atlantic is the first line of defense against a fast-growing and hungry army of invaders.A voracious predator, lionfish are an exotic species whose population explosion continues to threaten the U-S east coast and spread further south throughout the Caribbean.Scientists are struggling to understand this fast moving phenomenon ... But they are already sounding the alarm."They have just literally exploded through time, a population explosion - it is like a plague of locusts." Oregon State University Professor Mark Hixon was leading a team of research students studying coral reefs in the 1990s when they first noticed invasive lionfish. They were forced to change their research matter when the lionfish moved in."What we found was that lionfish reduce the abundance of small fish on coral reefs by 80 percent in just a five week period."The U-S government has continued to monitor lionfish spottings and tracked a substantial jump in sightings in 2004."They went up the Gulf Stream into North Carolina and established a population, over to Bermuda and then in about 2004 we started seeing them in the Bahamas."And scuba divers in the Bahamas first started noticing isolated specimens ..."We started off with one fish at one site that we knew of. Then we see another fish at another site and then another one, but the explosion didn't really hit until about 2007, that's when we really started noticing a difference and they were noticed everywhere - in groups of four and five and six fish even in just these coral heads of massive amounts of fish," says Sally Burrows, from the Stuart Cove Dive Company.Andy Dehart, the National Aquarium Director of Biological Programs, says there is no agreement on how the popular aquarium tank fish ended up in the Atlantic.Some believe aquarium breaches during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 released lionfish into the Bay of Biscayne and from there they spread, slowly at first.Experts say Caribbean reefs now face the prospect of turning into a vast nursery for the remarkably adaptable predator.The region's warm waters are allowing the tropical fish to colonize a far greater area than they can up north.There is widespread concern that the demise of the small reef fish will add more stress to fragile coral reefs."If we start loosing these smaller reef fish as food to the lionfish and the lionfish population get out of control, we can certainly be in a whirlwind for bad things coming for the reef ecosystem."Volunteer scuba divers, working with local governments, have established an early warning detection system to track the lionfish's expansion.But some say it may be too late ..."We are not very optimistic at this point that eradication is possible, because the lionfish population has grown so rapidly."

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• lionfish
• population
• scientists
• worried

[knisleyfilms]

i think just sell them at wallmart

[hoardpm]

You will almost never hear me say this. But, prehaps they should promote wild caught lion fish for sale in stores. These fish are very expensive in aquarium stores.

[BlueGodess]

They should be open fishing all year round, sold in restaurants, pet stores, sold in fish markets. They are edible and also make pretty pets. Opening to the public market will definitely slow their destruction of coral reefs.

[nolliehater]

If they moved naturally and were not introduced, then I think it's part of the circle of life, and it's not in our right to disrupt it.

[GRober1050]

I wish all the lionfish were where that BP oil spill off the Gulf was. I knew some very bad lionfish.

[yetitracker]

@drumheadcircle they are supposed to be good eating. we just went down for lobster in the keys and were told so but didn't go out because of weather.

[drumheadcircle]

Maybe we can eat them? Or how about using their toxin as a pain killer. I'll try it.

[AoWGold]

Kill 'em all

[wssher]

Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew...Lionfish!

[mtnd00]

have unlimited fishing season, no limit. then call in the mexicans

[mankyman6]

We do humans feel like they have to control nature?

[1peiceaznboi]

@GerardoOchoa Thanks for replying! Now I know how it feels like to get sting.