Since their discovery in the waters off of Florida in the early 1990s, the lionfish population has exploded and can now be found on every rock, reef, and wreck from New York to Venezuela.
LION FISH FACTS
Fact………
A single female lionfish can lay up to 50,000 eggs every week. That’s 2.6 million eggs per year. Living more than 30 years, that could total 78 million eggs in a lifetime. YIKES!!!!
Fact……….
Lionfish are indiscriminate feeders and have been known to consume over 100 different species of fish, mollusks, and invertebrates.
Fact……….
Lionfish, being invasive to these waters, have no known predators. A single lionfish will consume around 5,000 fish per year.
Nearly 200 million impoverished humans could lose their main food source in the next decade
The Problem
Lionfish are one of the most invasive species on the planet, affecting 7,000 islands, 37 countries, and over 43 million people. If you add in the entire Caribbean basin that number soars to over 200 million. Most of these countries rely heavily on the ocean, not only for food but also for tourism. The oceans account for nearly 80% of most countries’ GDP. Without healthy reefs providing food and incentive for people to travel to these unique locations, these countries have almost nothing.
Lionfish generally consume juvenile reef species. They are one of the most effective hunters and consume not only fish, but also crabs, shrimp, octopuses, and other reef dwelling invertebrates. Once you start to remove cleaner fish (such as parrotfish, wrasses, angelfish, and damselfish) that control the health of an ecosystem, reefs begin to suffer right away. These types of fish clean algae off of reefs and prevent seaweed from growing. These are critical species to maintain, and their population is dropping at an alarming rate due in part to the predatory lionfish.
The major edible species (such as rockfish, grouper, sole, and snapper) are also seeing a major decline while the population of lionfish is skyrocketing. This has an immediate impact on local people who use healthy reef ecosystems as a primary food source.
The Caribbean is home to an uncountable amount of small reef ecosystems spread over a vast area, including the second largest reef in the world. The Mesoamerican Reef stretches from the Yucatán Peninsula all the way down to South America. It is completely possible for lionfish to consume entire fish stocks and be the last fish standing over dead reef systems throughout the entire Caribbean.
This is a very serious problem. With no known predators, it is up to humans to intervene. With your help, we can make a difference and work together to save the reefs.
Below are maps that show the alarming spread and growth of the lionfish population.
Maps are courtesy of the NOAA.
