Roombaguy
Contributor
In today's CaymanNetNews
"Since the first juvenile Indo-Pacific red lionfish was removed from a dive site in Little Cayman in February 2008, over 300 have been caught in waters surrounding all three of the Cayman Islands, according to the authorities.
The red lionfish is considered an invasive species because they are only supposed to be found in the Indian and the Pacific Oceans.
In a press release, the Department of Environment (DoE) said allowing lionfish to establish themselves in Cayman Islands waters could lead to serious problems because the fish are ravenous predators.
They are relatively resistant to parasites, giving them greater advantage over native species and they do not have many native predators. Lionfish are equipped with venomous spines, which deter predators and can cause painful wounds in humans.
They are also capable of reproducing monthly with unique reproductive mechanisms not commonly found in native fish. Lionfish can reproduce at around one-year-old and can produce approximately 30,000 eggs each month.
Bradley Johnson, DoE Research Officer, said: We have caught over 300 lionfish since the beginning of the year and we are currently in the process of performing DNA analysis. We are dissecting the captured lionfish and looking at the contents of their stomach. We are also determining their sex by looking at their internal organs.
According to the DoE: Lionfish have now been documented along the entire US East Coast from Florida through Massachusetts, east to Bermuda and south throughout the Bahamas and in other Caribbean nations such as Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Cuba in depths ranging from 2 to 500 feet.
Lionfish have been captured from dive sites around all three islands. He said, We have found them inside the North Sound reefs but they have not been located in any of the environmentally sensitive areas yet, Mr Johnson said.
Joe Fichner is a scuba diver with a great deal of experience and has been diving in the Cayman Islands since 1975.
On June 21st 2009 I had been out to a dive spot at Bonnies Arch at the North West Point and came across two lionfish that appeared to be a mother and baby. I have about 3,000 or 4,000 dives under my belt and I have never seen a lionfish in the Cayman Islands before, he said.
They are a very beautiful fish but I was somewhat apprehensive about getting too close but as it turned out, lionfish are an extremely docile fish. I observed the two lionfish for almost the duration of a whole tank of air. They are very beautiful to photograph.
Mr Johnson said: There are regulations preventing divers from removing anything from the reefs but we are working with the dive companies and are licensing more divers to look out for and capture the invasive red lionfish species on behalf of the Department of Environment. We are working with the divers and we have made them aware of the capture techniques and they are using non-lethal means such as nets and all catches are turned over to us.
Mr Johnson described the species defense mechanisms, saying, Red lionfish are known to stand their ground when harassed or threatened. They will arch their backs, pointing their dorsal spines at the aggressor, and swim forward rapidly in order to inflict a sting. The sting of the red lionfish causes pain and can lead to hours of intense pain, depending upon the amount of venom received.
He urged caution for divers potentially coming into contact with the fish.
When diving in a ship wreck, a cave or swim-through, be aware of the areas above you as lionfish are able to rest upside down on the ceilings of those surfaces. Some divers have been stung by lionfish they were not aware of, he said."
"Since the first juvenile Indo-Pacific red lionfish was removed from a dive site in Little Cayman in February 2008, over 300 have been caught in waters surrounding all three of the Cayman Islands, according to the authorities.
The red lionfish is considered an invasive species because they are only supposed to be found in the Indian and the Pacific Oceans.
In a press release, the Department of Environment (DoE) said allowing lionfish to establish themselves in Cayman Islands waters could lead to serious problems because the fish are ravenous predators.
They are relatively resistant to parasites, giving them greater advantage over native species and they do not have many native predators. Lionfish are equipped with venomous spines, which deter predators and can cause painful wounds in humans.
They are also capable of reproducing monthly with unique reproductive mechanisms not commonly found in native fish. Lionfish can reproduce at around one-year-old and can produce approximately 30,000 eggs each month.
Bradley Johnson, DoE Research Officer, said: We have caught over 300 lionfish since the beginning of the year and we are currently in the process of performing DNA analysis. We are dissecting the captured lionfish and looking at the contents of their stomach. We are also determining their sex by looking at their internal organs.
According to the DoE: Lionfish have now been documented along the entire US East Coast from Florida through Massachusetts, east to Bermuda and south throughout the Bahamas and in other Caribbean nations such as Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Cuba in depths ranging from 2 to 500 feet.
Lionfish have been captured from dive sites around all three islands. He said, We have found them inside the North Sound reefs but they have not been located in any of the environmentally sensitive areas yet, Mr Johnson said.
Joe Fichner is a scuba diver with a great deal of experience and has been diving in the Cayman Islands since 1975.
On June 21st 2009 I had been out to a dive spot at Bonnies Arch at the North West Point and came across two lionfish that appeared to be a mother and baby. I have about 3,000 or 4,000 dives under my belt and I have never seen a lionfish in the Cayman Islands before, he said.
They are a very beautiful fish but I was somewhat apprehensive about getting too close but as it turned out, lionfish are an extremely docile fish. I observed the two lionfish for almost the duration of a whole tank of air. They are very beautiful to photograph.
Mr Johnson said: There are regulations preventing divers from removing anything from the reefs but we are working with the dive companies and are licensing more divers to look out for and capture the invasive red lionfish species on behalf of the Department of Environment. We are working with the divers and we have made them aware of the capture techniques and they are using non-lethal means such as nets and all catches are turned over to us.
Mr Johnson described the species defense mechanisms, saying, Red lionfish are known to stand their ground when harassed or threatened. They will arch their backs, pointing their dorsal spines at the aggressor, and swim forward rapidly in order to inflict a sting. The sting of the red lionfish causes pain and can lead to hours of intense pain, depending upon the amount of venom received.
He urged caution for divers potentially coming into contact with the fish.
When diving in a ship wreck, a cave or swim-through, be aware of the areas above you as lionfish are able to rest upside down on the ceilings of those surfaces. Some divers have been stung by lionfish they were not aware of, he said."
