Eradication plan...what are your views?

[Guba]

A recent thread about harmful interaction with marine life and a new report from Atlantic monitors started me to thinking.

As most divers know, lionfish, a non-indigenous species to the Atlantic coast and the Caribbean, has set up shop and has established a major presence in a variety of environments. They have almost no natural predators in the new waters and very few known parasites. They are voracious predators and are significantly altering the marine enviroment, often decimating species that are already struggling. The "invasion" is a fairly recent event, with the most significant changes taking place in only the last few years.

My question is this: What is your opinion on using divers (recreational or organized clubs, etc...) to limit the numbers of these non-indigenous species? Already, Bahamian fishermen are being asked to destroy any lionfish they encounter, and there are historical precedents. When "crown of thorn" starfish threatened large chunks of Australia's Great Barrier Reef in the seventies, local dive operators and recreational divers were enlisted to kill them in huge numbers by injecting the starfish with poison.
While it's agreed that it would be impossible to eradicate lionfish, should divers be used to kill any lionfish they encounter in an attempt to limit their impact?

 

[robint]

A recent thread about harmful interaction with marine life and a new report from Atlantic monitors started me to thinking.

As most divers know, lionfish, a non-indigenous species to the Atlantic coast and the Caribbean, has set up shop and has established a major presence in a variety of environments. They have almost no natural predators in the new waters and very few known parasites. They are voracious predators and are significantly altering the marine enviroment, often decimating species that are already struggling. The "invasion" is a fairly recent event, with the most significant changes taking place in only the last few years.

My question is this: What is your opinion on using divers (recreational or organized clubs, etc...) to limit the numbers of these non-indigenous species? Already, Bahamian fishermen are being asked to destroy any lionfish they encounter, and there are historical precedents. When "crown of thorn" starfish threatened large chunks of Australia's Great Barrier Reef in the seventies, local dive operators and recreational divers were enlisted to kill them in huge numbers by injecting the starfish with poison.
While it's agreed that it would be impossible to eradicate lionfish, should divers be used to kill any lionfish they encounter in an attempt to limit their impact?

I have mixed feelings about the whole eradication thing. I really don't know how the whole thing can be resolved. I don't like the idea of recreational divers attempting to kill them as they are poisonous.

robin

 

[kayakguy]

I would like to see them collected for the aquarium trade. Having owned a Pet store I would encourage that this would be a good source for these very expensive fish(i.e. $35-$100). and at the same time reduce the numbers of an unnatural predator.

 

[BKP]

Any time there's a non-natural introduction of a predacious species, marine life (as well as non-marine) is grossly (and negatively) affected... ie: nutria, zebra-mussels, snakehead fish, and now lionfish. None of them originally domestic animals. All of them *very* destructive outside of their native environments.

If there's a chance to eradicate them, and if it includes even knowledgable recreational divers, I'm for it....

 

[shoredivr]

I would like to see them collected for the aquarium trade. Having owned a Pet store I would encourage that this would be a good source for these very expensive fish(i.e. $35-$100). and at the same time reduce the numbers of an unnatural predator.

Irony in your post? Isn't the aquarium trade thought to be part of the reason for lionfish showing up in the Atlantic in the first place? People got tired of their growing lionfish and "humanely" returned them to the sea, except they're not native to to the Atlantic as noted above and are now taking over....

If studies show that eradication can work, go for it.

 

[Cajuncru Diver]

Better idea than arming cajuns with 22 rifles and turning them loose on the levies to take target practice on nutrias

 

[talonraid]

Using recreational divers to catch or kill lionfish.....? Perhaps a new PADI or SSI specialty course!
For ony $220 plus the cost of books and new specialty card, you could be "certified" to help eradicate the lionfish from non-native waters. I claim dibs on the idea!

I think that intelligent attempts should be made to remove the lionfish from their new non-native habitats, but I'm not sure I want every rec diver with a net to have a go at it.

Also, no offense to Kayakman, but I think the aquarium trade is probably how the lionfish ended up where it is now. People either flushed or "released" them where they had no business doing so. Either they could no longer keep the fish, and couldn't find a home, or suddenly felt guilty and decided to free the fish, who knows.

The local rivers and lakes of Texas are populated with non-native fishes from the aquarium business. I have personally seen a plecostmus (ain't from around here) that was nearly a foot long in the Comal River and some fishermen have caught sharks, that's right Atlantic Sharp nosed sharks, in Medina Lake (freshwater) near San Antonio. Not once..but on two separate occasions. Local biologists think someone probably caught the sharks on the coast and then after trying to keep them in an aquarium, decided to dump them in the lake.

 

[b1draper]

There are also cases of native species being sucked into the ballest tanks of ships and then being dis-charged in a new location. An example are some of the fish in the great lakes and I think that's also one of the ways the lion fish spread.

The March 2008 issue of Scuba Diving magazine has a big article on them called "Born in the Wrong sea" (special report from Ned Deloach)

 

[RAD Diver]

I would like to see them collected for the aquarium trade. Having owned a Pet store I would encourage that this would be a good source for these very expensive fish(i.e. $35-$100). and at the same time reduce the numbers of an unnatural predator.

Unfortunately most of the Lionfish I have seen off the NC coast are way too big to be in an aquarium, unless we are talking a commercial setting.
I've seen them bigger than a football on several wrecks.

 

[Doc]

Unfortunately most of the Lionfish I have seen off the NC coast are way too big to be in an aquarium, unless we are talking a commercial setting.
I've seen them bigger than a football on several wrecks.

Spread the word....

They're good with butter and garlic.

That will settle this.