I'd like to ask a really dumb question. Why are we culling/eradicating lionfish? I know you're not supposed to touch them but isn't the whole premise behind diving to leave the aquatic life alone and just observe. Is there an over population of these things threatening human life.
Perhaps this whole thread is just a joke and it's gone over my head......
Unfortunately, this is not a joke…the lionfish are an extreme epidemic outside of their natural habitats.
Lionfish are a venomous marine fish found predominately in the Indo-Pacific Oceans. There are fifteen species of the lionfish (genus
Pterois). In the mid-90s two species, the red lionfish (
P. volitions) and the common lionfish (
P. miles) were unintentionally introduced to the Atlantic Ocean and become an invasive species along the Eastern U.S. Coast, within the Caribbean and within the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. There are thoughts that after Hurricane Andrew destroyed an aquarium in southern Florida that six lion fish were accidently released into Biscayne Bay. Regardless of how they got there…they are out there.
The problem lies in that lionfish are not ingenuous to the region or its ecosystems and thus have not evolved within the ecological parameters of the ecosystem. Without natural barriers, such as predation or thermal control, the lionfish’s population density is increasing rapidly at the expense of the ecosystem’s natural inhabitants. Not only is the lionfish a ravenous predator, without its own predators to keep it in-check, it is also a prolific breeder, often reproducing monthly year-round. Now lionfish have been reported as far away as Louisiana, Cape Hatteras North Carolina, and throughout the Caribbean.
Based on studies conducted by NOAA , the most effective way to just control the species would be to cull at least 27% of the population. Along with NOAA and other environmental groups, hunting is encourages. While we do not know the long term effects the lionfish will have on our ocean’s mariner life, the prognosis is not good. When an invasive species is left unchecked, many of the natural inhabitants within the ecosystem cannot survive. There are many examples of this such as the Brown Tree Snake in Guam which has decimated the native bird, bat and invertebrate populations and have resulted in the extinction of twelve-native bird species. It is quite possible that the lionfish could do the same in the western hemisphere.
The lionfish is a beautiful and elegant fish that I love to see when I dive…but only in the Indo-Pacific oceans. In my opinion, the conservation of the oceans is to protect marine life from all hazards created by man-kind. This is an ethical standpoint I gladly accept. I want my children and their children to enjoy the ocean’s same biodiversity that I have enjoyed.
:grouphug:
I for one will take the course if the opportunity arises.
~ME~