LIONFISHINVASION

By ERIC ERNSTeric.ernst@heraldtribune.com

The lionfish, a colorful Asianaquarium star that has invadedFlorida waters, may soon have aprice on its head.The Legislature allocated

$427,000 in its recentlyconcludedsession to start a bounty programfor the exotic fish.Desperate timescall fordesper-

atemeasures.And, by most counts, the lion-

fish situation in theCaribbean,At-lantic and Gulf merits despera-tion.Genetic evidence suggests that

three to eight of the fish releasedfrom captivity about 30 years agohave led to such a reproductivespree that native marine species— grouper, snapper and lobster,

among others — are now threat-ened.“The invasion is the most suc-

cessful, complete, damaging, andswiftmarine introduction inhisto-ry,” says Nova Southeastern Uni-versity scientist MatthewJohnston.

Johnston’s assessment came aspart of a lionfish summit last fallin Cocoa Beach, where the con-cept of a bounty, most likely col-lected through spearfishing,topped the list of recommenda-tions.The Florida Fish and Wildlife

Conservation Commission orga-nized the summit, and it will ad-minister the bounty if the gover-nor approves the allocation.

At its meeting in June in FortSee LIONFISH on 10A

LIONFISHINVASION

Lionfish are an invasive species with venomous spikes that can sting divers, and they seem of little interest to predators. In Gulf waters, they’veproliferated at a remarkable rate, while doing damage to a host of native species. PHOTO PROVIDED

Invasive lionfish multiply in the Gulf

Sightings since 1992

FLA.BERMUDA

BAHAMAS

HONDURAS

Gulf of Mexico

Caribbean Sea

AtlanticOcean

LA.

S.C.

GA.ALA.MISS.

TEXAS

R.I.

PANAMA COLOMBIA

ionvasive lionfishnea ion ishishvevv ionfiimultiply in the Gulfmultiply in the Gulfmultiply in the Gulfuhyl Gulf Ghlyulltipl n

Sightings since 1992ci

FLA.FLA.FLA.FLABERMUDABB

BAHAMASBA

HONDURASHONDURASHONDURASARAS

Gulf GulfGulfof Mexicoo

Caribbean Seaar

AtlanticOcean

LA.

S.C..

GA.ALA.MISS.I .

EXAS

STAFF GRAPHIC / BARRY McCARTHYSOURCES: USGS, Reef.org

Can a bounty on their heads bring thisinvasive species to heel? What if we could getthem off the reefs and onto a dinner plate?

655-Venice Herald Tribune, Friday, May, 23, 2014, Sarasota, Circulation 23,000, Daily, Page 1, Section 1A, Article 733583, Size 8.00 x 9.70 (029)

Myers, the commission also in-tends to adopt four other mea-sures intended to curtail the lion-fish population explosion:

■ A prohibition on the importof lionfish for the aquarium trade.

■ A ban on lionfish in aquacul-ture.

■ The introduction of lionfish“derbies” inprotectedareasprevi-ously off-limits to spearfishing.

■ Letting divers in pursuit of li-onfish use previously bannedequipment that enables them tostay underwater longer.

Marine scientists concede it istoo late to prevent harmful im-pacts. The fallback position is tolimit the damage.

Part of the early efforts centeron compiling information aboutthe fish: what they eat, what eatsthem, how fast they reproduce.

The reproduction rate has notbeenpinpointed to scientific stan-dards, but reports indicate that asingle lionfish can produce30,000 or so eggs every 10-55days.

The fish seem to have no habi-tat preference. They have settledin mangroves, seagrass meadowsand reefs. Since August 2010, re-searchers from Florida Interna-tional, Antioch and North Caroli-na State universities have cap-tured 300 specimens from theLoxahatchee estuary near Jupiter.Some of the lionfish had traveledas far as fourmiles upriver.

In the home range of the lion-fish, the South Pacific and Indianoceans, larger fish such as sharkseat them. In the Atlantic and theGulf, those predators don’t seemto recognize lionfish as prey.

Where lionfish have settled onreefs, they have reduced the na-

tive species by up to 70 percent.That applies not only to gamefish,but to the shrimpand inverte-brates that game fish eat.

“You still see the big fish; youjust don’t see the little ones,” saysCapt. Chris Barton of Bradenton.

A few years ago, divers neversaw lionfish along the SouthwestFlorida coast. “Now we’re seeinga pretty good number of them,”Barton says.

In April, during the SouthwestFlorida Lionfish Derby, twoteams on Barton’s boat took firstand second places by killing 100of the fish on a wreck known asThe Pillsbury, found some 25miles off AnnaMaria.

The bounty idea holds somepromise because consistent har-vesting by divers has helped holddown lionfish populations in se-lect areas of the Caribbean.

Barton sees a second possibili-ty for the invaders. “We’re tryingdesperately to get a market goinghere,” he says.

Beneath their spines,which canproduce a painful sting, lionfishhave tasty meat.

With that in mind, another rec-ommendation from last year’ssummit called for including thefish in the state’s “Fresh fromFlor-ida” promotion.

“The big-picture idea is to cre-ate a fishery for them,” says StateRep. Holly Merrill Raschein,R-Key Largo, who sponsored abill to ban lionfish imports andaquaculture, but stopped pushingonce the FWCC addressed thetwo through its rules.

Raschein says her constituentsprefer lionfish on the plate ratherthan on the reef.

“It’s going for $19.99 a pound inKey Largo,” she says.

LIONFISH from 1A

State settingstrategy againstinvasive lionfish

A lionfish on display at Mote Marine in Sarasota. In the wild, the non-native species is posing a threat to natives ofour local waters. STAFF PHOTO / MIKE LANG

STAFF GRAPHIC / BARRY McCARTHYSOURCES: USGS, Reef.org

NorthAtlanticOcean

SouthAtlanticOcean

IndianOcean

NorthPacificOcean

SouthPacificOcean

Native range ofPterois volitans

Native range ofPterois miles

Non-native(invasive) lionfish

Predicted future spread of lionfish

Lionfish range

•They possess venomous spines capable of deterring predators and inflicting serious stings and reactions in humans.

•In the Caribbean, a single female lionfish can spawn more than 1 million eggs per year.

•Dense populations can consume more than 460,000 prey fish per acre each year.

•Lionfish have decimated native fish species by up to 70% on Caribbean reefs.

•Lionfish are edible and considered a delicacy.

About the lionfishRed lionfish (Pterois volitans) andDevil firefish (Pterois miles) are two visually identical species of lionfish introduced into the Atlantic via the U.S. aquarium trade, beginning in the 1980s.

•Lionfish spread throughout most of the Caribbean in less than 3 years, starting in 2007.

•They may live longer than 15 years, reaching sizes up to 19 inches in the Atlantic and 16 inches in the Gulf.

•Native predators avoid lionfish.

655-Venice Herald Tribune, Friday, May, 23, 2014, Sarasota, Circulation 23,000, Daily, Page 1, Section 10A, Article 733584/2, Size 10.10 x 8.90 (029)