The Lionfish Invasion of the Bahamas

Matt Rogers · 09-13-2009, 10:52 AM

This news should serve as a reminder to all hobbyist to not release your fish into the wild. Lionfish were first spotted in the Bahamas over 10 years ago and believed to have been introduced by aquarium owners in the southeast USA. Their numbers were low initially but grew rapidly in the last couple years and exponentially in the last few months! Lionfish are competing for the same fish as the local fishermen. This is not a good scenario. More below..

A Lionfish in an Aquarium (Thanks dublinur)

As is problematic with exotic fish, Lionfish are not being recognized as a predator in the Bahamas and local fish populations are being heavily impacted.

Any locals in the Bahamas that have seen Lionfish, can fill out this survey to help control the spread of Lionfish in the Bahamas.

Read this interview with Eleanor Phillips, The Nature Conservancy's Northern Caribbean program director about the spread of Lionfish in the Bahamas.

Hat-tip to Bella_Mare and Bahamas Photog.

missionsix · 09-13-2009, 10:57 AM

Reminds me of this story you left on my page. The pacu could easily have been a piranha(s). Wish I would have known better as a kid using live goldfish for bass bait.
toledoblade.com --

Matt Rogers · 09-13-2009, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by missionsix

Reminds me of this story you left on my page. The pacu could easily have been a piranha(s). Wish I would have known better as a kid using live goldfish for bass bait.
toledoblade.com --

Ahh yes second story down. They have been a problem but don't seem to get to the numbers that these articles indicate have been reached with Lionfish. This one troubles me more.

jturnbull · 09-13-2009, 11:30 AM

I saw this video about a month ago was pretty shocked.

YouTube - Lionfish Population Has Scientists Worried

greebs · 09-13-2009, 12:06 PM

who cares if lionfish are eating fish that fisherman take. animals have the right to eat one other fish before we hoist up a million at a time and let half go to waste.

Matt Rogers · 09-13-2009, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greebs

who cares if lionfish are eating fish that fisherman take. animals have the right to eat one other fish before we hoist up a million at a time and let half go to waste.

Umm I think you miss the point. If BOTH - the fisherman AND the lionfish are going after local fish - how do you think the local fish will fare?

coylee_17 · 09-13-2009, 12:34 PM

I'm not worried about the lionfish eating the fish the fisherman are after, I'm more worried about them wiping out reefs.

ninty · 09-13-2009, 12:44 PM

Really missed the point, we have a similar problem in the UK with red signal crayfish. These were released into the river systems and have taken over about 70% of the native white crayfish area's.

Mankind can really mess up eco systems with just a careless act.

loneracer05 · 09-16-2009, 07:40 AM

I cud use afew dwarf lions ... and a vacation .... hmmm

swagger87 · 09-16-2009, 07:58 AM

Wow, that's horrible.
greebs and coylee 17, the point of the article is that because humans were careless, these beautiful fish have been dumped into an ecosystem not suitable for them. The local fish will soon be wiped out by both fishing and from hungry lion fish. As it is true that every creature has a right to eat (No one is saying that they shouldn't) it's a terrifying ordeal as the local people, the lion fish and the local fish will all suffer due to negligence.
The worst part of this is that like many invasive fish species, and many invasive species in general, the lionfish will most likely need to be rounded up and destroyed for the most part.
It's just like the ordeal NE America is fighting with the snake head outbreak.

09-13-2009, 10:52 AM	#1 (permalink)
Matt Rogers KingFish Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Pt. Richmond, Ca. Age: 40 Posts: 9,823 Skin: Mint Karma: 149992	The Lionfish Invasion of the Bahamas This news should serve as a reminder to all hobbyist to not release your fish into the wild. Lionfish were first spotted in the Bahamas over 10 years ago and believed to have been introduced by aquarium owners in the southeast USA. Their numbers were low initially but grew rapidly in the last couple years and exponentially in the last few months! Lionfish are competing for the same fish as the local fishermen. This is not a good scenario. More below.. A Lionfish in an Aquarium (Thanks dublinur) As is problematic with exotic fish, Lionfish are not being recognized as a predator in the Bahamas and local fish populations are being heavily impacted. Any locals in the Bahamas that have seen Lionfish, can fill out this survey to help control the spread of Lionfish in the Bahamas. Read this interview with Eleanor Phillips, The Nature Conservancy's Northern Caribbean program director about the spread of Lionfish in the Bahamas. Hat-tip to Bella_Mare and Bahamas Photog.

09-13-2009, 11:30 AM	#4 (permalink)
jturnbull Purple Spiny Lobster Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 463 Skin: Dark Karma: 1538	I saw this video about a month ago was pretty shocked. YouTube - Lionfish Population Has Scientists Worried Last edited by Matt Rogers; 09-13-2009 at 11:53 AM. Reason: fix youtube video for viewing - read the FAQ to know how.

09-13-2009, 10:57 AM	#2 (permalink)
missionsix 3reef Moderator Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Sun River,Oregon (Bend) USA Age: 36 Posts: 5,278 Skin: Mint Karma: 84829	Reminds me of this story you left on my page. The pacu could easily have been a piranha(s). Wish I would have known better as a kid using live goldfish for bass bait. toledoblade.com --

09-13-2009, 12:06 PM	#5 (permalink)
greebs Flamingo Tongue Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Southeast Wisconsin Posts: 110 Skin: Classic Karma: 703	who cares if lionfish are eating fish that fisherman take. animals have the right to eat one other fish before we hoist up a million at a time and let half go to waste.

09-13-2009, 12:34 PM	#7 (permalink)
coylee_17 Coral Banded Shrimp Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Peterborough, Ontario, Can Age: 27 Posts: 384 Skin: Mint Karma: 1924	I'm not worried about the lionfish eating the fish the fisherman are after, I'm more worried about them wiping out reefs.

09-13-2009, 12:44 PM	#8 (permalink)
ninty Flamingo Tongue Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Wigan,UK Age: 39 Posts: 118 Skin: Dark Karma: 631	Really missed the point, we have a similar problem in the UK with red signal crayfish. These were released into the river systems and have taken over about 70% of the native white crayfish area's. Mankind can really mess up eco systems with just a careless act.

09-16-2009, 07:40 AM	#9 (permalink)
loneracer05 Montipora Capricornis Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: long island ny Posts: 1,008 Skin: Mint Karma: 3832	I cud use afew dwarf lions ... and a vacation .... hmmm

09-16-2009, 07:58 AM	#10 (permalink)
swagger87 Zoanthid Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Taylor, Mi Age: 23 Posts: 1,134 Skin: Classic Karma: 36930	Wow, that's horrible. greebs and coylee 17, the point of the article is that because humans were careless, these beautiful fish have been dumped into an ecosystem not suitable for them. The local fish will soon be wiped out by both fishing and from hungry lion fish. As it is true that every creature has a right to eat (No one is saying that they shouldn't) it's a terrifying ordeal as the local people, the lion fish and the local fish will all suffer due to negligence. The worst part of this is that like many invasive fish species, and many invasive species in general, the lionfish will most likely need to be rounded up and destroyed for the most part. It's just like the ordeal NE America is fighting with the snake head outbreak.