Lionfish: Invasion or Evolution

Posted by Merle Kiture-Morgan 
on Feb 21, 2011
 

Evolution Takes Thousands of Years:

On February 16, 2011, R. Lee Kellar, General Curator of Coral World, shared his knowledge with Rotary II on the subject of lionfish.

Lionfish arrived in  the Atlantic about 20 years ago when 6 of them escaped from a home in Fort Lauderdale.  They:

 

  • Grow 9+ inches per year
  • Mature in less than 1 year
  • Reproduce year round
  • Produce 30, 000 eggs every 4 to 5 days
  • Can eat prey up to 75%of their own body size
  • Have venomous spines

 

The impact to the eco system of these  invasive predators is that they can destroy the entire Marine Ecosystem, and entire Commercial Fishing Industry .

    

Because there are so many lionfish, and they are out in the deep, and we cannot completely eradicate

them, we should consider reducing them by:

 

  • Choosing  some reefs as  their breeding areas and refuge
  • Encouraging  consumption of lionfish