Lionfish

Photo by Johnny Holland

Lionfish are an invasive species that are threatening biodiversity in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. They are venomous, reproduce year round, and have no predators here and this means there are more of them here than there are in their native habitats. Lionfish are causing dramatic declines in native populations of fish and invertebrates. How they were introduced is pretty much a moot point now. I have seen all kinds of tropical fish snorkeling among the reefs near Andros that you see in Pet Smart, including lionfish. In April of 2012 there was a lionfish catching tournament in Andros, held as part of the Coastal Awareness month, complete with prizes for the largest catch and the single heaviest lionfish caught. There was also a demonstration of how to handle, prepare and cook lionfish. This kind of local control of lionfish through diver removals has been shown to be effective at reducing both populations and impacts, and I recently read that Florida Fish and Wildlife is waiving recreational license requirements and excluding limits allowing people to take as many lionfish as they can. From the looks of this one photographed off Andros over Father’s Day weekend 2013 it’s time for another diver removal event there too!