Lionfish in Cozumel

[geokr]

we aren't waiting for them to tell us what to do...we are already intructed to remove them and or report them. I'm talking about a long term formal plan. Unlike the problem with this in the US the marine park and dive shops are being aggressive about doing what we can. One out of two reported have been captured... And the two reported may have actually been the same fish. Obviously there are more out there if there's one but we have to find them before we can get rid of them.

Right thing to do! As they say down under - "Good on ya!" Making sport of killing lionfish while you can have an effect is going to serve your interests in the long run and it's good to hear that you're proactive in doing so. It might even be good for the dive business to promote the elimination of these fish as a conservation activity for divers. Many people like to hunt but for good reason are discouraged or prevented from doing so in the oceans. Unlike commercial fishing, this is a hunting activity that benefits the ecosystem and should be encouraged and promoted. Organize lionfish hunting expeditions - great fun, good sport and good for the oceans.

 

[Walter]

I noticed that too because I was reading up on the lionfish on Wikipedia too. Where would we be with out Wikipedia.

We'd be better off. Wikipedia cannot be trusted.

Every jurisdiction that doesn't already have lionfish needs to have plans already in place to remove them if/when they are spotted. Early removal is essential in getting rid of them.

 

[fireflock]

I admire the determination here, and I don't want to seem like a downer, but I think it's worth pointing out the mechanical control (people physically removing) of invasive species doesn't have a great track record. The prospect is even worse once the species is well established in the region and the species has a high rate of reproduction and dispersal.

I'm not suggesting that every effort is a waste of time, just that expectations need to be tempered quite a bit.

Compensatory mortality and source-sink dynamics are two concepts that I'm sure the biologists working on this problem and thinking about.

If there was ever a place where there is enough regular activity on the reef to keep track of things and make a serious effort, the CZM marine park might be the place.

On a wider scale, I think the cat is out of the bag on this one (bad pun intended).

Rich

 

[scubawife]

They came from somewhere. Belize most likely based on the currents? Even if there is a good plan to deal with the situation in Cozumel, to really be successful it needs to be dealt with everywhere, and that is an overwhelming proposition. If not then the lionfish will just keep coming. It's not like they'd get to Belize or wherever and tell eachother, "Don't go to Cozumel. They'll kill you there."

At some point, over time, if they are not eradicated and do continue to populate the Caribbean they will eventually become part of the food chain, won't they? But who knows how long that would take and in the meantime how much destruction they'll cause.

 

[Belmont]

What preys on them in the Pacific?

 

[ggunn]

They came from somewhere. Belize most likely based on the currents? Even if there is a good plan to deal with the situation in Cozumel, to really be successful it needs to be dealt with everywhere, and that is an overwhelming proposition. If not then the lionfish will just keep coming. It's not like they'd get to Belize or wherever and tell each other, "Don't go to Cozumel. They'll kill you there."

We ought to do like port cities used to do with pirates. Kill them and leave their mutilated bodies on display to serve as a warning.

 

[scubawife]

We ought to do like port cities used to do with pirates. Kill them and leave their mutilated bodies on display to serve as a warning.

I do that with the yellow jackets that keep nesting around my deck in the summer when things get out of hand with their numbers. Interesting enough, if I leave a pile of corpses we don't get as many nests.

 

[Hank49]

They came from somewhere. Belize most likely based on the currents?

They've only been confirmed here in two places and just recently. I'm not sure if Cozumel is in the trade wind belt, but being on the western end of the Caribbean with Lionfish already spotted in Cuba, Jamaica and the Caymans (I believe) it's inevitable that they'll hitchhike over here with a rubbish pile floating eventually.
But here in Dangriga, we will KILL..... every...single.....lionfish....we see.

 

[don Francisco]

The genie is definitely out of the bottle as far as Lionfish are concerned. Given that there will always be a reservior of Lionfishes in places not dived, (too deep or out of the way) they can always rebound and spread back to Cozumel, or anywhere else, even if local populations are brought to zero.

That doesn't mean that we shouldn't do whatever we can to keep their population as low as possible, and manage it as well as we can until (if) a realistic bioligical solution is found.

 

[Mawg]

That doesn't mean that we shouldn't do whatever we can to keep their population as low as possible, and manage it as well as we can until (if) a realistic bioligical solution is found.

Maybe I missed it and this has already been discussed but : Average length of mature Lionfish is 12 to 15 inches. Eighteen needle like dorsal fins pack a lot of venom which besides being very painful and burning can cause nausea and difficulty with breathing.

Con Quidado Amigos!