Let's talk about the invasive lionfish in the Atlantic.

Discussion in 'Lionfish Lair' started by Renee@LionfishLair, Apr 8, 2013.

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  1. Renee@LionfishLair

    Renee@LionfishLair 3reef Sponsor

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    Dang it! I know sometimes I sound ticked on the forums.

    I was agreeing with you about killing them, saying I was a big fan of derby's..... which one time removed 1400 of them in a single day. If you see it, kill it. Just kill it clean. None of this ninja stuff. :)

    I can't say for them to be all eaten, either. You would have to analyze the impact on the local fisherman's livelihood.
     
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  3. Chance

    Chance Bubble Tip Anemone

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    I went down to Key West Florida last year and Dove on a finger reef. There were lots of Lions! There were also lots of dead coral :( . But when we were fishing, the rules were, if you caught a lion, you kept it. I caught 2! My (ex) Girlfriend's mom caught a big Scorpion type fish, we were all kind of afraid to touch it. :p

    [​IMG]

    But I think it's ridiculous that someone blamed you for it. Nature has a way of balancing itself out, it always has. Aside from us, 7 Billion and counting...
     
  4. Renee@LionfishLair

    Renee@LionfishLair 3reef Sponsor

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    It wasn't so much that we were getting blamed, more like "Why would you sell them if they are invasive in the Atlantic".
     
  5. DevinH

    DevinH Montipora Capricornis

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    Did you sarcastically say you collect them from the Atlantic and that a lionfish sale is one less in the Atlantic?
     
  6. Chance

    Chance Bubble Tip Anemone

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    That's like someone asking "Why are you Selling Parrots, Cardinals are invading my yard.". The Lions you are (planning on) selling on your site aren't anything like the ones in Florida I saw.
     
  7. sanchoy

    sanchoy Astrea Snail

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    Very interesting
     
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  9. weems23

    weems23 Astrea Snail

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    Eat them!! Lionfish are very tasty and I know there's been a movement on the East coast to create food fishery for lionfish and while won't remove them, it may help to slow the spread enough to allow for other species to better adapt to a new top predator. Here in GA on Grays Reef there's been some unofficial visual evidence of groupers starting to eat lionfish, suggesting adaptation by other species. The only problem with adaptation is if a species isn't given enough time to adapt (usually related to fecundity and age of maturation), it can be wiped out. So by killing/eating lionfish the idea is to extend the time other species have to adapt, thus decrease the total number of species heavily impacted by them.

    Also if you do eat one, you should look up some tips on how to not get poked while cleaning the fish.
     
  10. Renee@LionfishLair

    Renee@LionfishLair 3reef Sponsor

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    They don't think Lionfish are a very good commercial species. You don't want so much cheap lionfish rolling through the restaurants that the locals and imports of other species take a hit. These things really need to be studied.
     
  11. Todd_Sails

    Todd_Sails Giant Squid

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    Cos, your last two statements- I couldn't agree more!

    Sometimes people are too stubborn to see the knowledge.
    I resemble that remark ;-)
     
  12. weems23

    weems23 Astrea Snail

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    That's true, but also I know fisheries (commercial) here in GA are taking big hits, and some are on the downswing in terms of population. This is one reason there has been a lot of new fishing regulations here, particularly in offshore reef species such as sea bass, snapper, and grouper. The juvenile of the same example species are thought by some to be common prey of lionfish. So it could be good environmentally as far as removing some of the fishing pressure from current commercial species and switch it to lionfish. As far as the impact on commercial fisherman, I see it as the evolution of business, most are temporary and are replaced when better ones are created, so the old fishery guys would have to roll with the changes. That's what basically has happened with wild vs. farm raised shrimp here, the wild industry has collapsed because of cheaper farming methods and fishery damage from over-fishing. Really the same outcome if lionfish damage or change the old fisheries, which is likely once they heavily populate. Also a side note, the fishery thing is part of what I study. I work for GA DNR collecting data to help determine the health of fisheries here in GA. Although I do agree specific studies are probably needed, it seems a small bit observational that lionfish need to be at least controlled within reasonable bounds.