Lionfish Invades Florida

[Tom Winters]

Everyone needs to get on the phone and call President Obama on this. If we all request it, I know that we can get at least a multimillion dollar Lionfish Eradication Project appropriation added to the Economic Stimulus Package. Compared to a lot of the nonsense in the package, this actually has some validity.
Please dial (202) 456-1414 and ask for Barry. If you get someone who answers and says something like "Rome", you didn't get routed to Italy, you got the Chief of Staff.

Someone good with a lathe needs to come up a .22 short bangstick too.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Please dial (202) 456-1414 and ask for Barry

All I got was someone breathing heavy. I thought maybe Obama had to run to get the phone but then they asked what I was wearing and.....

Anything that puts me in warm waters right now would be a good thing though. I would gladly hunt down our dangerously spiked friends.

 

[I Dive]

All I got was someone breathing heavy. I thought maybe Obama had to run to get the phone but then they asked what I was wearing and.....

Anything that puts me in warm waters right now would be a good thing though. I would gladly hunt down our dangerously spiked friends.

Steve, if you need some warm water, check out the link in my sig. We'd love to have you join us!

 

[drbill]

I guess the northward flow of the Gulf Stream probably disperses the eggs and larvae (assuming both are pelagic) north so Broward may be south of the dispersal flow.

We had an infestation of the exotic Asian kelp Sargassum filicinum that could have been stopped IF anyone had noticed it at its initial point of infection (Long Beach harbor, CA). Of course who wants to dive there. Now it is spreading and beyond control.

 

[Missdirected]

I guess the northward flow of the Gulf Stream probably disperses the eggs and larvae (assuming both are pelagic) north so Broward may be south of the dispersal flow.

We had an infestation of the exotic Asian kelp Sargassum filicinum that could have been stopped IF anyone had noticed it at its initial point of infection (Long Beach harbor, CA). Of course who wants to dive there. Now it is spreading and beyond control.

I remember you talking about this stuff when it first started. I bet they want to get rid of it now that it has taken over...

 

[Scubakevdm]

I guess the northward flow of the Gulf Stream probably disperses the eggs and larvae (assuming both are pelagic) north so Broward may be south of the dispersal flow.

We had an infestation of the exotic Asian kelp Sargassum filicinum that could have been stopped IF anyone had noticed it at its initial point of infection (Long Beach harbor, CA). Of course who wants to dive there. Now it is spreading and beyond control.

This has been true, up until recently. The larval lionfish were delivered northward by the Gulfstream. This dispersal pattern spread them northward along the east coast, but eventually blasted them into the cold North Atlantic, where they were not viable. In 2004, lionfish were spotted in the Bahamas. The looping eddies and gyres in the current there allowed the larvae to remain in excellent habitat. The Bahamas population exploded, and now... they have made it south of Cuba, and into the Caribbean Basin, where they will really take off. When this happens, then we (South Florida) will be in the dispersal plume with millions of lionfish larvae being delivered onto our reefs. I'm afraid there is little hope of eradication at this point, but by removing the fish from where we dive, we can help to preserve the balance in localized areas.

FWIW, they have traced genetically every lionfish they've ever found in the Atlantic back to six individuals.

 

[stu_in_fl]

i remember the explosion in Bahamas over my last few visits - increasing exposnetially year by year, from 1 lone lionfish on 1 wreck, the following year then saw quite a few on 1 or 2 sites, then last year absolutely everywhere ..... now all the wrecks where people use to do swim throughs and light penetrations are basically off limits due to being filled with the buggers.

 

[solensdotter]

FWIW, they have traced genetically every lionfish they've ever found in the Atlantic back to six individuals.

Very interesting. Shows how quickly they can spread given the right environment and limited to no predation. Dr. Bill, I, too remember reading about goliath grouper eating lionfish. Only thing is, I can't remember the source, so have no idea of its validity...

 

[LowVizWiz]

Very interesting. Shows how quickly they can spread given the right environment and limited to no predation. Dr. Bill, I, too remember reading about goliath grouper eating lionfish. Only thing is, I can't remember the source, so have no idea of its validity...

This is taken from the other thread on Lionfish:

SpringerLink - Journal Article

One natural predator of the Lionfish is the grouper:

Lionfish can eat other fish up to two-thirds their own length, while they are protected from predators by long, poisonous spines. In the Pacific, other fish have learned to avoid them and they also have more natural predators, particularly large groupers. But Atlantic fish have never seen them before, and few local predators will eat them.

Taken from:
Bahama Pundit: Invasion of the Lionfish Threatens Bahamian Fisheries

Another predator of the Lionfish is the frogfish

 

[solensdotter]

Hi Wiz,
I actually remember reading something else, don't believe that it was here on the 'Board, though.
I think that it was fisherman finding lionfish in the stomachs of grouper that they had caught. Don't really remember, though - will have to look it up!