BREAKING NEWS: New Lionfish Legislature For Florida!

[agesilaus]

Can we add palmetto bushes to that?

? Palmetto is a native plant.

Frankly they need to ban the importation of any non-native exotic critters for pets. The list of problems caused by these is long and people can just get used to using locally available critters as a pet.

---------- Post added March 16th, 2014 at 08:35 PM ----------

The legislature would look smarter if they passed a spending bill to fund lionfish research in the gulf for a 10-20 million dollars.

If you want to get rid of Lionfish, then put a bounty on them. Stand back and let economics do the rest.

BK

 

[diverdoug1]

Bounties don't do squat for culling rapidly reproducing species. They have tried it for Asian Carp / Snakehead fish / beavers and gophers in Canada. It just does not work! I sure wish it did because diving is starting to suck in the Caribbean, but it does not.

To address the vector for the spread of Lionfish, Lionfish are "broadcast spawners". Their egg mass becomes buoyant 3 days after it is laid, and then is spread by surface currents.

 

[Mike]

If you want to get rid of Lionfish, then put a bounty on them. Stand back and let economics do the rest.

BK

You do realize how large and deep the ocean is from NY to South America? Unless you invent a killing/capturing method that works by itself and individually is effective over hundreds if not thousands of acres on the sea bottom no amount of bounty is going to do anything. No amount of created table fish market, no amount of hand culling, no amount of lion fish tournaments can ever eradicate these lion fish as they reside deeper than 130 ft and over tens of millions of square miles.

 

[agesilaus]

Yeah I guess that's true.

BK

 

[drrich2]

Depending on specifics, outlawing lionfish importation could be useful. Consider a couple of angles:

1.) The more foreign lionfish you add, of the species already out there, the most genetic diversity you add to the population. This could potentially strengthen it, and it's already more than strong enough!

2.) It's my understand the Caribbean infestation is by 2 species of lionfish, but there are more than that. Will the legislation also prohibit other lionfish? After all, aquarists may want species that stay much smaller than what we're used to. Adding another species or two to the mix, even smaller ones that work at a lower level in the food chain, could do more damage.

Richard.

 

[Mike]

Yeah I guess that's true.

BK

There was some news about a lion fish trap last year, I've never heard much more about it since then. Money and research is going to be the only way to ever reach a solution other than waiting the hundreds of years for mother nature to come up with one.

New trap may fight invasive lionfish - Outdoors - MiamiHerald.com

 

[b-dog]

Depending on specifics, outlawing lionfish importation could be useful. Consider a couple of angles:1.) The more foreign lionfish you add, of the species already out there, the most genetic diversity you add to the population. This could potentially strengthen it, and it's already more than strong enough! 2.) It's my understand the Caribbean infestation is by 2 species of lionfish, but there are more than that. Will the legislation also prohibit other lionfish? After all, aquarists may want species that stay much smaller than what we're used to. Adding another species or two to the mix, even smaller ones that work at a lower level in the food chain, could do more damage.Richard.

The lionfish of the Dendrochirus genus are the dwarf lionfish. They are the dwarf fuzzy lionfish, the two spot lionfish, the zebra lionfish and the Hawaiian lionfish. If they were put into the Caribbean it would likely be bad news because divers would had a hard time seeing them and so they could not be culled very well. Also they live in hiding places in the reef and would likely eat the rest of the smaller fish. The fish from the Indopacific have a huge advantage over those in the Caribbean due to the greater diversity of fish species and the intense natural competition. The Caribbean fish would be sitting ducks is more lionfish species invaded the Caribbean. The fish in the Caribbean are like handicapped children trying to play basketball with the Michael Jordan who represents the Indopacific fish.

 

[Fishpie]

Probably meant Melaleuca rather than Palmetto?

 

[SavageRon]

The biggest question that comes up to me from this press release is exactly what input did Reef have in this bill??
I mean, I had given REEF a lot of credit over the years, but this doesn't seem to want to do anything about the current situation of infestation. So what input did they actually have?? It doesn't seem to be useful or helpful, or productive enough to be something endorsed by an organization that works so tirelessly to solve the problem.
Is somebody declaring a political affiliation for REEF?? Or just allowing their name to be used by a couple politicians who fraudulently want to claim they did something??
I smelly something fishy in the REEF / politician connection.

 

[kelemvor]

According to REEF, REEF helped write the bill.

Florida becomes first state to propose ban on importation of lionfish | Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF)

Last week, representatives from the Florida House and Senate took the first steps in banning the importation or aquaculture of invasive lionfish. Representative Holly Raschein (R-Key Largo) and Senator Greg Evers (R- Pensacola) have filed HB 1069 and SB 1336 to address the devastation being caused by lionfish in Florida’s coastal waters. The bills will prohibit importation, aquaculture and sale of illegally imported lionfish and they authorized FWC to adopt a rule to that effect. By stopping importation into Florida, it is anticipated that current demand for lionfish will be supplied by removal of invasive lionfish rather than increased importation from their native range. These bills, developed in close consultation with REEF and the FWC, mark one of the first legislative efforts to combat the invaders and comes on the heels of the first ever FWC Lionfish Summit. Comments and suggestions can be directed to Representative Holly Raschein’s office (phone: 850-717-5120). The bill will be considered by the Legislature during the 2014 session, which runs March 4th-May 2nd. For more information on the bills visit www.myfloridahouse.gov or www.flsenate.gov.

Emphasis mine.