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Introduction
Introduction
"The lionfish is a carnivorous fish native to the Indo-Pacific that is now an invasive species in the Atlantic." - Ocean Service NOAA: Lionfish Facts
These ravenous predators have become a huge problem in places where the pet industry has helped them escape into wild places.
Problems with Lionfish
Problems with Lionfish
Aggressive Invasive Species
Aggressive Invasive Species
Lionfish have ended up in ecosystems which have not adapted to their ferocious appetites or dangerous barbs.
These Ocean Fish Can Survive in Fresh Water
These Ocean Fish Can Survive in Fresh Water
2:47 minute video "For a school science fair project, a Florida sixth grader studied lionfish and is now being credited with a scientific breakthrough. The research has changed the way these deadly fish are handled."
Solutions
Solutions
Invasive Species Control Methods
Invasive Species Control Methods
Teaching predators to eat lionfish resulted in unfortunate consequences, but these mistakes may help conservationists develop safer solutions.
Catching Lionfish
Catching Lionfish
Harpoon Fishing
2:21 minute video
You can see the specialized harpoons and containers used to catch invasive lionfish.
Traps for Lionfish
1:31 minute video "The quest is on for a better way to kill beautiful but brutally destructive lionfish than shooting them one by one with spearguns.
The voracious invaders with huge appetites, flashy stripes and a mane of venomous spines are a problem in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and the East Coast almost to Virginia.
They've also recently infested parts of the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. With few natural predators, they eat native fish and compete for food."
What to Do with Caught Lionfish
What to Do with Caught Lionfish
"When properly filleted, the naturally venomous fish is safe to eat. Another control method is the use of lionfish spines, fins and tails for jewelry and other decorative items. Lionfish jewelry production initiatives are underway in Belize, the Bahamas and St. Vincent and the Grenadines."
This 9:51 minute video shows where the dangerous spines are, and how to safely prepare the fish for eating.
While most of the solutions on this site are vegan, solutions like this can help protect native species, while supporting the people who are willing to risk their safety catching these dangerous invaders. While it would be nice to protect all species equally, these unfortunately massacre entire reef systems when they invade places that these fish are not native too, reducing our chances of rescuing our reefs and the many endangered species that live in them.
Tools & Gear
Tools & Gear
The Frapper "Proudly removing invasive lionfish from Atlantic and Caribbean waters since 2009)"
Organizations
Organizations
North America
North America
Caribbean
Caribbean
Cayman Islands
Curaçao
Curaçao
USA
USA
Coast Watch Alliance (CWA) "was founded in 2014, with the goal of providing a focus on issues that affect our coastlines and offshore reefs. CWA and the subgroup, Gulf Coast Lionfish Coalition (GCLC), have collaborated to serve the coastline communities of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana with both water quality and lionfish-related efforts. The GCLC was recently merged into CWA, as the two organizations worked on common issues and had some common board members. CWA is a collaboration of divers, recreational anglers, scientists, and business owners working to conserve and protect coastal and marine environments. The organization’s mission is to discover, appreciate, and defend our coastal and marine resources; to exercise and promote the responsible use of our oceans and coastal environments; to educate and enlist humanity to protect, restore and conserve the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives with our public and business partners."
Alabama
Coast Watch Alliance (CWA) "was founded in 2014, with the goal of providing a focus on issues that affect our coastlines and offshore reefs. CWA and the subgroup, Gulf Coast Lionfish Coalition (GCLC), have collaborated to serve the coastline communities of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana with both water quality and lionfish-related efforts. The GCLC was recently merged into CWA, as the two organizations worked on common issues and had some common board members. CWA is a collaboration of divers, recreational anglers, scientists, and business owners working to conserve and protect coastal and marine environments. The organization’s mission is to discover, appreciate, and defend our coastal and marine resources; to exercise and promote the responsible use of our oceans and coastal environments; to educate and enlist humanity to protect, restore and conserve the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives with our public and business partners."
Florida
Coast Watch Alliance (CWA) "was founded in 2014, with the goal of providing a focus on issues that affect our coastlines and offshore reefs. CWA and the subgroup, Gulf Coast Lionfish Coalition (GCLC), have collaborated to serve the coastline communities of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana with both water quality and lionfish-related efforts. The GCLC was recently merged into CWA, as the two organizations worked on common issues and had some common board members. CWA is a collaboration of divers, recreational anglers, scientists, and business owners working to conserve and protect coastal and marine environments. The organization’s mission is to discover, appreciate, and defend our coastal and marine resources; to exercise and promote the responsible use of our oceans and coastal environments; to educate and enlist humanity to protect, restore and conserve the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives with our public and business partners."
Lionfish Central: ENNDS "Lionfish Central is dedicated to working with all nonprofits to help with the invasive lionfish invasion. We continually look for organizations that are doing great work in these efforts.
Ending Non-Native Destructive Species is crucial to the protection of indigenous species all over the world. Our mission is to end non-native species through educational awareness, training on control techniques and population reduction through organized hunts. For species in which eradication will not be possible our goal is to reduce the impact on native species and their habitat. We work on land with plants, mammals, reptiles and in the ocean to fight the growing spread of invasive species. Based out of south Florida we travel wherever we need to go to achieve our mission.
Join Lionfish Central in this fight. To learn more on what you can do to help click here. We are a nonprofit organization that works with agencies, divers, restaurants, wholesalers and many other industries to help save our reefs from the harmful overpopulation of the lionfish. Please help us continue help those who are doing great work in this fight. Below are some of the ways you can help. Thank you!"
Lionfish Predators "We are geared towards Lionfish education and eradication. local diving in the Gulf , primarily out of Pensacola and Destin."
Louisiana
Coast Watch Alliance (CWA) "was founded in 2014, with the goal of providing a focus on issues that affect our coastlines and offshore reefs. CWA and the subgroup, Gulf Coast Lionfish Coalition (GCLC), have collaborated to serve the coastline communities of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana with both water quality and lionfish-related efforts. The GCLC was recently merged into CWA, as the two organizations worked on common issues and had some common board members. CWA is a collaboration of divers, recreational anglers, scientists, and business owners working to conserve and protect coastal and marine environments. The organization’s mission is to discover, appreciate, and defend our coastal and marine resources; to exercise and promote the responsible use of our oceans and coastal environments; to educate and enlist humanity to protect, restore and conserve the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives with our public and business partners."
Mississippi
Coast Watch Alliance (CWA) "was founded in 2014, with the goal of providing a focus on issues that affect our coastlines and offshore reefs. CWA and the subgroup, Gulf Coast Lionfish Coalition (GCLC), have collaborated to serve the coastline communities of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana with both water quality and lionfish-related efforts. The GCLC was recently merged into CWA, as the two organizations worked on common issues and had some common board members. CWA is a collaboration of divers, recreational anglers, scientists, and business owners working to conserve and protect coastal and marine environments. The organization’s mission is to discover, appreciate, and defend our coastal and marine resources; to exercise and promote the responsible use of our oceans and coastal environments; to educate and enlist humanity to protect, restore and conserve the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives with our public and business partners."
Lionfish University, www.lionfishuniversity.org
Mersea Consulting mersea.org
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, www.noaa.gov
Ocean Strike Team, oceanstriketeam.org
Poisson Lion (French Caribbean), www.facebook.com/Mangezdupoissonlion
Pressure Junkies Scuba, www.pressurejunkiesscuba.com/home
REEF Invasive Lionfish Program www.facebook.com/REEFLionfish/
ReefSave, a Non-Profit Volunteer Organization www.reefsave.org
Roatan Lionfish Hunters, www.facebook.com/roatanlionfish
Roatan Tourism Bureau, roatantourismbureau.com/lionfish-invasion
The ZooKeeper – Lionfish Containment Unit, lionfishzk.com
New Jersey Shark Attack File www.njsaf.com
Shark Files www.sharfiles.org
Maps
Maps
Asia
Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Ocean Service NOAA: Lionfish Facts native habitat range. "Lionfish are native to the warm, tropical waters of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans (i.e., the Indo-Pacific region), including the Red Sea. Their native range is shown in orange on the map."
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