If you travel to the Caribbean in the near future, you may be presented with the option of ordering lionfish for lunch. Lionfish are beautiful creatures, with elegantly fanned fins and striped bodies, but they pose a serious threat to coral reef ecosystems. Thus, lionfish may seem like an exotic menu item, but eating them actually benefits conservation efforts.
Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific waters, but they were introduced off the coast of Florida about thirty years ago. Since then, their populations have grown exponentially and expanded in range from Bermuda to Venezuela. Female lionfish can reproduce at an incredible rate; they reach reproductive maturity after six months and then spawn two million eggs per year for up to twenty years. Lionfish have no natural predators, so their populations will continue to explode if left unchecked.
Furthermore, lionfish are voracious eaters. They will devour nearly everything in sight, sometimes consuming prey up to thirty times their stomach size. Their aggressive eating habits have resulted in the depletion of many native fish populations, which threatens the fishing and tourism industries that are crucial to most Caribbean and Central American economies. The lionfish invasion has also generated an ecological crisis; lionfish consume algae-grazing fish, and when the algae are allowed to grow unchecked, they cloud the water and block sunlight from reaching the coral below. Saving the world’s coral reef ecosystems is of utmost importance, because they are hotspots for biodiversity, and in addition to sheltering an incredible number of marine species, they serve an important role in nutrient cycling, buffer coastal areas from potentially destructive waves, and provide food and income for millions of people.
At present, most regions have been combating the invasion by sending SCUBA divers down to spear hunt the lionfish, but these efforts are insufficient. Thus, conservation groups have been working to encourage people to request lionfish at restaurants and in grocery stores in order to incentivize local fisherman to assist with hunting efforts. Unfortunately, many people believe that lionfish are inedible because of their venomous spines; however, such rumors are untrue.
To learn more about the lionfish invasion, check out this link:
http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/27/belize-fights-back-against-an-uninvited-guest/
Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific waters, but they were introduced off the coast of Florida about thirty years ago. Since then, their populations have grown exponentially and expanded in range from Bermuda to Venezuela. Female lionfish can reproduce at an incredible rate; they reach reproductive maturity after six months and then spawn two million eggs per year for up to twenty years. Lionfish have no natural predators, so their populations will continue to explode if left unchecked.
Furthermore, lionfish are voracious eaters. They will devour nearly everything in sight, sometimes consuming prey up to thirty times their stomach size. Their aggressive eating habits have resulted in the depletion of many native fish populations, which threatens the fishing and tourism industries that are crucial to most Caribbean and Central American economies. The lionfish invasion has also generated an ecological crisis; lionfish consume algae-grazing fish, and when the algae are allowed to grow unchecked, they cloud the water and block sunlight from reaching the coral below. Saving the world’s coral reef ecosystems is of utmost importance, because they are hotspots for biodiversity, and in addition to sheltering an incredible number of marine species, they serve an important role in nutrient cycling, buffer coastal areas from potentially destructive waves, and provide food and income for millions of people.
At present, most regions have been combating the invasion by sending SCUBA divers down to spear hunt the lionfish, but these efforts are insufficient. Thus, conservation groups have been working to encourage people to request lionfish at restaurants and in grocery stores in order to incentivize local fisherman to assist with hunting efforts. Unfortunately, many people believe that lionfish are inedible because of their venomous spines; however, such rumors are untrue.
To learn more about the lionfish invasion, check out this link:
http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/27/belize-fights-back-against-an-uninvited-guest/