Kill the lionfishes.....

[WatercolorsGuy]

Saw some instagram posts from JBJ and others (including "Ocean Magazine" ) about killing as many lionfish as possible if you see them on the reefs. I didn't realize they were such a problem.
Anyone heard of this? I am at work so haven't followed up with it myself.
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[dr.schlegs]

I went to the Denver Aqurium the other day and they had a display about how Loinfish are killing off natural fish along a the FL coast.

 

[Craigar]

I watched a special on them the other day and it was say in the next ten years there would be no other fish on the reef In that area if something's not done. They actually have compitions to see who can catch the most in a day biggest and smallest gets prizes also

 

[daverf]

Heard about this as well several years ago. They're supposed to be pretty tasty too, but linked to ciguatera in areas where they are an invasive species.

You can find videos on youtube of how to filet them.

http://www.ocean-news.com/news-archives/ocean-briefs/596-eat-lionfish-campaign-

 

[Haulin Oates]

I wonder if they realize they can sell em for about $20 a piece to hobbiests?

 

[cdrewferd]

The problem is there are too many. There are no natural predators, so the only thing keeping the population slightly in check is fishing. Even that is unable to keep up. If large fishing operations came in then they would take out a lot more fish than just the lionfish.

 

[daverf]

I did find a few places that do that online. Saltwaterfish.com and finaddictsaltwaterfish.com do mail order of lionfish caught in the carribbean. I think the guys on the second site do their own collection, I exchanged emails with them.

I'm sure you can buy em by the dozen at FL fish stores for dirt cheap, although there are many working to try and have them banned as pets on the eastern seaboard and gulf states.

 

[yOdaddy]

Humans do a great job killing the environment, how hard can it be killing a fish?

 

[jahmic]

Oh we've done a great job at killing off fish...

We introduced the lionfish as an invasive species, which decimated the population of other fish beneficial to the reefs off the Florida coast. We've also done a great job at overfishing grouper on the East Coast...which is probably the one natural predator out there that could keep the lionfish numbers in check if we allowed their population to rise. If we put an end to commercial overfishing, the problem would at least begin to correct itself over time. I have a buddy in FL that goes spear-fishing for lionfish "for fun"...although plenty people do it, it's definitely not enough to keep things in check. A while back I read a report that said in order to just maintain the current population, over 25% of adult lionfish would have to be killed off on a monthly basis. Not an easy task with a lack of natural predators.

 

[yOdaddy]

Sad. We are a big fat virus that consumes and destroy a healthy area, then move on to the next when theres nothing left to consume until we kill our own self. I have a feeling we will never learn until its too late

 

[jahmic]

Good thing we've been looking for water on other planets. I think NASA knows how close we are to killing this one, but won't admit it.

 

[Haulin Oates]

Good thing we've been looking for water on other planets. I think NASA knows how close we are to killing this one, but won't admit it.

Makes you think... All those Sci fi movies where the aliens come to our planet to strip it of all it resources... It appears we will be the aliens going out to strip another planet!

 

[cdrewferd]

It's believed that the hurricane that went through and hit the Atlantis resort is what released the most lionfish into the ocean. It hit their aquarium and took out the lionfish exibit.

 

[dr.schlegs]

I wonder if they realize they can sell em for about $20 a piece to hobbiests?

Part of the problem is Hobbiests that couldn't care for them so they return them to the wild. Happens to reptiles as well. When I lived in MN there was a pond (again a "pond" is MN is bigger than a "pond" in other parts of the world) that thousands of goldfish. You could see visible spots of orange from the shoreline.

 

[yOdaddy]

We think we are the smartest species on the planet, who the hell came up with that idea?? Not only we are dumb, we're also selfish. The greatest ingredient for disaster and possibly the end of our planet as we know it

 

[yOdaddy]

Part of the problem is Hobbiests that couldn't care for them so they return them to the wild. Happens to reptiles as well. When I lived in MN there was a pond (again a "pond" is MN is bigger than a "pond" in other parts of the world) that thousands of goldfish. You could see visible spots of orange from the shoreline.

Yup saw that on the news about a lake in boulder filled with kois and goldfish that had dominated the lake killing all the native fishes

 

[jahmic]

It's believed that the hurricane that went through and hit the Atlantis resort is what released the most lionfish into the ocean. It hit their aquarium and took out the lionfish exibit.

I've heard that too...but I also know that people who get them in their tanks release them when they get too big. I think hurricane Andrew was the one that they blamed for the introduction of the species...but there were reports of lionfish in the water several years before that hurricane ever hit Florida. I'm sure that hurricane was a factor in getting them established, but irresponsible fishkeepers are also to blame, unfortunately. There was a lionfish exhibit at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa when I lived out there...and they made a point of pushing for responsible reefkeeping, and dispelling that rumor that the hurricane was to blame. I have no idea which is true...for all I know they just want to point the finger at the aquarium trade. That being said though, I don't find it hard to believe that people would release lionfish when they get too big for their tanks...afterall, they do kind of have a python/boa problem out there too.

 

[LittleCrabby101]

I read an article about the lionfish problem not to long ago. It sounds like FL is invested with them. I read that they are encouraging divers to spear them. Here's a recent article that I just came across regarding the problem in FL. http://www.odumagazine.com/fishingnews/2012/11/florida-we-have-a-lionfish-problem/

 

[Ghosty]

It's believed that the hurricane that went through and hit the Atlantis resort is what released the most lionfish into the ocean. It hit their aquarium and took out the lionfish exibit.

Yeah, I heard the same about that huge Hurricane hitting Texas. Bunch of coastal homes reef tanks getting crashed and the Lionfish propagating all over the Gulf, ugh!

Another interesting article was about collecting DNA from large groups and most in that area getting traced back to a very FEW domestic pairs. Well, guess it was natural causes, but still TRAGIC. They're decimating the reefs!

 

[daverf]

i heard that invasive humans have started overtaking the state of colorado, and authorities native coloradans will be extinct in 200 years.