Concerns surface as local divers spot non-native fish in Florida waters

[jviehe]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/lo...9apr09,0,6085919.story?coll=sfla-news-broward

By David Fleshler
Staff Writer
Posted April 9 2004

Thousands of miles from their homes in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and Red Sea, 16 species of non-native tropical fish have been spotted in the waters off southeast Florida.

Most likely released by aquarium hobbyists, these fish could constitute a potential threat to native fish and other marine life, according to an article in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series.











Volunteer divers have repeatedly spotted emperor angelfish, yellow tangs, lionfish and other species that are imported into the United States for home aquariums. No one knows whether any have established breeding populations off the Florida coast, but scientists and state officials say the introduction of these outside species could risk dislocating entire ecosystems.

Lacking natural predators or competitors, non-native species can wipe out fish or plants that never had a chance to evolve defenses. They can introduce parasites or diseases. They can thrive at the expense of native species, as non-native melaleuca trees did when they swarmed over the sawgrass prairies of the Everglades.

"You're setting in motion a chain of events where you don't know the outcome," said Scott Hardin, exotic species coordinator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "It might be benign, or it could be malignant. I don't think anybody has a handle on the ecological implications of aquarium fish. Right now the science is in the earliest stages of discovery."

It's illegal to release non-native wildlife in Florida, but many people don't know that and the law is obviously difficult to enforce.

A study, which was peer-reviewed, was conducted by graduate students at the University of Washington, along with a member of the Reef Environmental Education Foundation. They studied thousands of reports from volunteer divers in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and southeastern United States, whose work was coordinated by the Reef Environmental Education Foundation. They found that the hotspot for non-native tropical fish was the stretch of ocean from West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale.

"We found that the vast majority of the non-native fishes we were seeing were showing up off of Palm Beach and Broward counties, Florida," said Brice Semmens, the lead writer of the article. "Some we were seeing as far south as Key Largo, but it was really clear after looking at the data that there was kind of a hotspot."

The other non-native fish seen were the panther grouper, raccoon butterflyfish, orbicular batfish, blue-ringed angelfish, Arabian angelfish, yellowbar angelfish, semicircle angelfish, Moorish idol, orangespine unicornfish, sohal surgeonfish, yellowtail sailfin tang and two other types of sailfin tang.

Semmens wasn't sure why these two counties had the most non-native fish. But it could be that the region combines the right climate and habitat with a high population, which means a lot of tropical fish collectors. The environment and water temperature of South Florida is certainly more similar to these fishes' native habitat than the waters off New Jersey or North Carolina. The study examined the two most likely ways the tropical fish reached Florida: from home aquariums or through ballast picked up by ships arriving at local ports. They reviewed the routes of ships and their ballasting records. They analyzed import and export data on aquarium fish. And they analyzed more than 49,000 survey forms completed by divers.

Their analysis found that home aquariums were the most likely source of the exotic fish swimming around the Florida reefs. Semmens said he thinks the fish come from well-meaning hobbyists trying to dispose of unwanted fish in the most humane way they can think of -- without being aware of the potential impact on the environment.

"I like to believe people care about their pets," he said. "I think they're releasing them because they think their aquariums are too small to give their pets a good life, or because they have empathy for their fish and they want to release them and let them be free in the wild."

Paul Holthus, president of the Marine Aquarium Council, a non-profit group that promotes conservation-oriented practices in the aquarium business, said the study showed the importance of educating hobbyists about the most ethical ways to deal with unwanted fish. This could best be done through retailers, since they're the ones most likely to be in contact with hobbyists.

"The real issue is that hobbyists have a responsibility for the proper care of their animals," he said, speaking from the group's branch office in Fiji. "We really believe it's a serious issue, and hobbyists have a responsibility to be informed and act responsibly."

David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4535. Email story
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Copyright © 2004, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

 

[ReefGuy]

Walter and I came across a pair of ornamentals last summer. We weren't sure what they were, but both of us believed them to be non-native. This was at alhambra.

 

[H2Andy]

and don't forget the plecos in the springs.

 

[wolfen42]

and don't forget the plecos in the springs.

Heh, yeah, that boggled my mind when we came down to visit. Focussing on my breathing/bouyancy.... "Hey! WTH is a south american fish doing in this spring?" :11:

 

[divad]

I'd swear I saw a blue ringed octopus at LBTS two or three years ago.

 

[drbill]

Although the causal agents are different, we face the threat of exotic seaweeds from temperate Asia in our waters in SoCal. Some are really creating serious impacts both with native kelps and fish/inverts.

The fish that arrive here are generally from El Nino dispersed larvae. While they may survive in our cooler waters, and even establish reproductively, I can't think of a one that has seriously impacted local ecosystems. In large part we are saved by the fact that those tropical ornamental fishies released from home aquaria can't tolerate our cool, temperate waters.

Let me know if you see any of our garibaldi there. Walter will know what they look like.

 

[fisherdvm]

I am worry about the great lakes and grass carps. The federal government uses the "too little, too late" concept in dealing with these animals. They could have contained the emerald ash borer when it was first discovered killing ash trees in central Michigan in 2000. They waited 6 years later and dumped in the money. Much money (millions if not billions) wasted, and now it is likely to spread across the lower 48 states and much of Canada.

If they can contain it with the efficiency of how they deal with foreign animal diseases in chickens and cattle - we might have more success. But for the ocean creatures - it might be nearly impossible to contain?

 

[perdidochas]

I think the major threat to FL and the East Coast is the lionfish from the Indo-Pacific. It scares the spit out of me to know that those critters are surviving and starting to take over the Bahamas. I hope they don't make it to the Gulf of Mexico.

 

[danvolker]

I think the major threat to FL and the East Coast is the lionfish from the Indo-Pacific. It scares the spit out of me to know that those critters are surviving and starting to take over the Bahamas. I hope they don't make it to the Gulf of Mexico.

Simple solution....just have environmental groups come up with a fund to cover a "Bounty" for any lionfish shot by spearfisherman and documented.....Just having every spearfisherman shoot any lionfish on sight would probably work almost as well--they could think of it as a "righteous shoot"

It would be like getting rid of anacondas or pythons in the Everglades, by exciting all the red necks with a way to get free snakeskin cowboy boots..gun sales soar, tax revenues climb, lots of happy red necks with new boots, and no more big dangerous snakes

Dan V

 

[perdidochas]

Simple solution....just have environmental groups come up with a fund to cover a "Bounty" for any lionfish shot by spearfisherman and documented.....Just having every spearfisherman shoot any lionfish on sight would probably work almost as well--they could think of it as a "righteous shoot"

Unfortunately, I don't think that solution will work, mainly because most mainstream environmental groups wouldn't want to be associated with the killing.

I think a better tack would be to advocate lionfish sushi/sashimi as being Florida "fugu."

It would be like getting rid of anacondas or pythons in the Everglades, by exciting all the red necks with a way to get free snakeskin cowboy boots..gun sales soar, tax revenues climb, lots of happy red necks with new boots, and no more big dangerous snakes

Hmm, that could work...... Hunting pythons in the Everglades would be an interesting sport.