Invasion of Lionfish
The lionfish has been a popular, show-stopping addition to home aquariums since the 1970s - but now they are a growing threat to marine ecosystems across the southeastern United States and in Caribbean waters. We interviewed the Discovery Center’s education coordinator, Zoe Caraffi, to get a better idea of why these beautiful fish are so harmful.
Where are lionfish from and how did they get here?
Lionfish are native to the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. The species was first detected along Florida’s coasts in the 1980s. It is believed that they were introduced into this area by being released from someone’s aquarium. Since then, lionfish have quickly become an invasive species that poses a threat to Florida’s marine ecosystems.
Why is the invasive lionfish a threat?
Lionfish are able to reproduce at a very rapid rate. One female lionfish can release around 30,000 eggs every 4 days. Do some math and that’s about two million eggs laid every year by one fish! Lionfish are also predators and are known to prey on more than 70 native fish and invertebrate species on the east coast of Florida. Lionfish do not have any known predators on this side of the world, so their numbers can drastically and easily increase. In addition, lionfish have 18 venomous spines that deter potential predators from even considering to prey on them. Their stings can last days and cause extreme pain, sweating and even paralysis.
What is the Discovery Center doing to help?
The Discovery Center is dedicated to educating the public about lionfish and invasive species in general. We offer lionfish dissections every weekend. During each dissection, we are able to examine the lionfish’s stomach contents to see exactly which native species it ate. The lionfish used for the dissections are sustainably harvested along Florida’s coast, so anything we find in their stomach came straight from our backyard.
“During each dissection, we are able to examine the lionfish’s stomach contents to see exactly which native species it ate.”
What can citizens do to help?
The public can help by learning more about lionfish! It’s important to understand how threatening they are to our marine ecosystems. There are also lionfish tournaments held around the state that encourage everyone to go out and hunt lionfish. These tournaments are typically held during a weekend and offer prizes to the top teams. You do not need any special permit, and there are no bag limits on lionfish. This past May, the Emerald Coast Open held a tournament in Destin, FL where a grand total of 13,835 lionfish were removed! Lionfish are also edible and completely safe to eat. People are encouraged to be the predator by eating lionfish. In addition, the public can also report any lionfish sightings directly to the FWC.
Where do the lionfish used at the Discovery Center for dissections come from?
The lionfish used in our dissections are sustainably harvested from two main locations. We have teamed up with the Emerald Coast Open in Destin, FL where they donate a portion of the lionfish from the tournaments to be used in our dissections. In addition, we have also teamed up with Salatino Seafood, a company that focuses on bringing the lionfish to the dinner plate. They are also exploring options for transforming lionfish into sustainable leather products through a company called Inversa.
Thank you, Zoe, for helping everyone learn more about lionfish! We hope to see you at one of our upcoming dissections. View our program calendar!