Readers ask: What Is The Best Way Of Stopping The Lionfish?

Here are the 5 best ideas for stopping the invasive lionfish.

1. Hunt Them! Divers Needed.
2. Eat Them! They taste like chicken.
3. Train Sharks to Eat Them! Yes this is a real thing.
4. Stop Importing Them! Ban lionfish as aquarium imports.
5. Smartphone App! Divers report sightings.

What can we do to stop lionfish?

Here are 7 simple ways you can help keep Lionfish numbers under control, and perhaps literally become the ocean’s Last Action Hero.

1. Eat ’em to Beat ’em.
2. Join a Lionfish Derby.
3. Become a Lionfish Reporter.
4. Don’t Feed the Sharks!
5. Don’t Free Your Pets!
6. Donate.
7. Spread the Word by Sharing.

How do scientists capture lionfish?

Lionfish like to make their homes in the natural crevices of coral reefs. They don’t school and aren’t easily attracted by bait. The only way to catch them is through spearfishing, one at a time, reef by reef.

Why are lionfish hard to get rid of?

Since lionfish are not native to Atlantic waters, they have very few predators. Lionfish have venomous spines that can be very painful. Scientists are also actively studying these fish to better understand the potential threat that lionfish pose to key reef and commercial fish species.

How is the lionfish invasive?

As lionfish populations grow, they put additional stress on coral reefs. For example, lionfish eat herbivores, and herbivores eat algae from coral reefs. Without herbivores, algal growth goes unchecked, which can be detrimental to the health of coral reefs.

Is the lionfish population decreasing?

Lionfish populations are down. Scientists reported that a disease that creates open sores on invasive lionfish collected in the northern Gulf of Mexico may have contributed to a recent population decline. Lionfish are an invasive species that eat juvenile species that can be economically important to the area.

How do lionfish destroy coral reefs?

They are carnivorous and can consume fish up to twice their size, with stomachs expanding up to 30 times their normal volume. This excessive diet has had a drastically negative impact on the coral reef systems in the West Atlantic and Gulf Coast.

Why did lionfish invade so easily?

Through their voracious appetite and reproductive habits, lionfish have reduced the number of native fish and prevented juvenile fish from repopulating reefs. This has led to the current lionfish invasion being unstoppable.

How did lionfish get to Florida?

An Invasive Species Introduced Lionfish are native to waters around Indonesia in the Indo-Pacific oceanic region. The lionfish problem started more than 25 years ago, when the first fish were released into the waters of South Florida, most likely by the aquarium trade.

Where are the lionfish invading?

Lionfish are now invading the Gulf of Mexico and the northern coast of South America. These fish pose a serious threat to reef fish populations across the region, and thus to coral reef ecosystems and the people who depend on them.

How did lionfish get to the Caribbean waters?

Biologists believe they were probably introduced when aquarium owners emptied unwanted pet lionfish into nearby coastal waters. Lionfish were first officially reported in the western Atlantic Ocean in 1985. Since 2004, these fish have spread very rapidly throughout the Caribbean and into the Gulf of Mexico.

What happens if you touch a lionfish?

The venom found in the needle-sharp dorsal, pelvic and anal fins of a lionfish is NOT deadly to an otherwise healthy human being, though envenomation WILL cause an immense amount of localized pain, swelling and, in some instances, blistering and infection if not treated properly.