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The Lionfish: Invasive and destructive

National Geographic

Lionfish are native to the Pacific and Indian Oceans (Frequently). The first documented
lionfish in the Atlantic Ocean was in 1985 (NOAA). After hurricane Andrew in 1992, it was
reported that an aquarium on the waterfront broke and six or eight lionfish escaped into the
Atlantic Ocean. In 2009, it was reported that there are eight halotypes in lionfish, which
suggests the current population of lionfish originated from eight females (Frequently).
Today they are found in the coral reefs of Bermuda, Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, the
Caribbean Islands, Central America and northern South America (NOAA)

Why are they a concern?

They have no natural predators (invasive) except for humans (NOAA)


They out-compete other species for food (NOAA)
Their stomachs can expand more than thirty times in volume while eating
(Frequently)
Disrupt coral reef populations and dynamics- by eating everything and anything (NOAA)
They are actually getting liver disease because of their diets (Linendoll)
They destroy entire reefs by feeding on the fish that keep the reefs healthy and the food
supply in check, and overtake them
o they can wipe out 90% of a reef (Linendoll)
Native marine life lack a defense against these fish as they are not natural to these native
species (Linendoll)

The lionfish invasion is probably the worst environmental disaster the


Atlantic will ever face -Graham Maddocks, president and founder of Ocean Support Foundation
(Linendoll)

Lionfish produce 30,000 to 40,000 eggs every few days, are sexually mature by 1 year old, and
can live up to fifteen years in the wild (Lionfish..)

This fact is extremely daunting as they continue to grow in populations and destroy more
and more reefs (Linendoll)

Headlines like Invasive Species: Eat them before they eat everything promote the killing
of these fish due to the destructive nature and negative impact on the reefs and oceans
ecosystem

What is being done to help save the reefs from these fish?
Scientists claim that the oceans will now always contain lionfish, that there is no way to get rid
of all of them because there are too many and they reproduce at such significant rates. The
argument goes that, humans created the issue, and now we can only help contain it, but there is
no wiping these fish out completely (Linendoll). Lionfish hunts are promoted and prevalent
throughout the Keys, as there are hunts for these fish and there are rewards for the most
lionfish taken, the biggest lionfish, etc. Although humans created the issue, there are efforts to
help prevent further damage that they have caused. In addition, there are programs that are being
developed to utilize the help of commercial support, like from restaurants. The more restaurants
that add these fish to their menus, the more people will enjoy them, and the demand will
increase. There is also a movement to have the current Florida Saltwater Fishing License law
changed to exempt the harvesting of Lionfish from requiring a saltwater fishing license
(LionfishHunters).

Although lionfish derbys and hunts continue to help control the population, it is unclear to
scientists when lionfish densities will reach carrying capacity (Frequently..). That is, how
big do populations need to get before there is no more food for them to eat or any more space for
them to occupy? As chefs begin to focus more and more on recipes for these fish, for the time
being, humans can only attempt to control the population of lionfish in our oceans as it is deemed
nearly impossible to ever get rid of them all.

Feeding trials were conducted to see whether or not anything ate this fish. Trials were conducted
over 5-39 days, where no lionfish were consumed by any native predators, which include
octopus, nurse shark, red hind, Nassau grouper and graysby grouper (Frequently..). It was
reported that, native predators do not seem to recognize lionfish as potential prey
(Frequently..).

In 2004, the first assessment of lionfish populations off the coast of North Carolina was reportedan average of 8.4 lionfish per acre across 17 locations (Frequently..).

Here is a visual representation of the growth and invasion of these Lionfish over the years since
1994.
http://www.lionfishhunters.org/STATISTICS.HTML

From personal experience through fishing and snorkeling throughout the Florida Keys and the
Caribbean, I have seen the impact the fish have firsthand. These fish are vicious and will ruin
entire reefs. Reefs no longer have any fish in them and the majority of the corals that occupy
them die and entire areas become lifeless due to the aggressive and dangerous nature of these

fish. Many people do not know the extent in which these fish have the ability to wipe out entire
reefs, and I hope more education and publicity regarding them will help others control the
population of these invasive reef killers.

The effects of Lionfish on the economy are significant. They have both negative and positive
effects. For example, they have a positive effect because with the growing promotion and
numerous hunts and competitions for them, they are adding to the tourism and fishing industry
for the state of Florida. It will promote more fishing licenses sold in Florida to harvest these fish,
and also promote more diving in local waters. In addition, they have a significant negative
impact on tourism and the economy because if they continue to destroy reefs, the reason why
people travel to Florida will be gone. Divers and fisherman will not have their reefs that they rely
on for various activities these reefs resources and life provide. The continued wipe out of reefs
by these fish will ruin the oceans ecosystem and food chain and begin to destroy the beautiful
area and waters that surround us, and beyond. Tourism will fall and as a state and area that relies
heavily on tourism that will have significant impacts on the economy.

According to NOAA, given the lionfish population explosion and aggressive behavior,
lionfish have the potential to become the most disastrous marine invasion in history by
drastically reducing the abundance of coral reef fish and leaving behind a devastated
ecosystem (LionfishHunters).

Works Cited

"Frequently Asked Questions About Lionfish." - SafeSpear. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2014.
<http://www.safespear.com/v.php?pg=59>.

Linendoll, Katie, and Matt Dellinger. "Lionfish Infestation in Atlantic Ocean a Growing
Epidemic." CNN. Cable News Network, 09 Oct. 2013. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.
<http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/18/tech/innovation/lionfish-infestation-atlanticlinendoll/>.

"Lionfish, Lionfish Pictures, Lionfish Facts." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept.
2014. <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/lionfish/>.

"LionfishHunters.org." Lionfish Invade South Florida. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
<http://www.lionfishhunters.org/index.html>.

"NOAA Coral Reef Information System (CoRIS) - Professional Exchanges -The IndoPacific
Lionfish Invasion of the U.S. South Atlantic Sea Coast and Caribbean Sea." Coral
Ecosystem Publications RSS. N.p., June 2013. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.
http://www.coris.noaa.gov/exchanges/lionfish/#bg

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