Lionfish... friend or foe?
#1
Posted 17 September 2011 - 06:33 AM
So what do you think?
NOTE: All replies need to be respectful and the respected. Only by sharing our different opinions will we be drawn closer together and learn to see more perspectives.
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#2 Guest_PlatypusMan_*
Posted 17 September 2011 - 08:18 AM
Lionfish in the Caribbean to be exact. Are they friend or foe? Should we shoot them with pole spears or just cameras? There is no right or wrong answer...but we can use this thread to help educate those reading about lionfish in general and the best way to deal with them when diving.
So what do you think?
NOTE: All replies need to be respectful and the respected. Only by sharing our different opinions will we be drawn closer together and learn to see more perspectives.
Kill them as quickly as you can.
As an invasive species that has made incredible inroads into the ecosystem in a relatively short period, I refer to them as the kudzu of the Atlantic; given time and no attempt to curb their growth, they will start choking off the native species over time through sheer numbers.
PPM
#3
Posted 17 September 2011 - 08:59 AM
.... given time and no attempt to curb their growth, they will start choking off the native species over time through sheer numbers.
PPM
That is already happening in the Caribbean, and it's sad to see the decline in numbers of the algae-eating fish (and it's a drastic decline in some areas!). That is affecting the reef itself in a negative way.....there is a symbiotic relationship there that has definitely been affected.
The dichotomy between the effect of lionfish on the Caribbean and the Indo-Pacific is interesting, though. It is said that they have no natural enemies in the Caribbean, and that may be true. But, even in marine parks in the Caribbean where there are firm no-kill rules, you don't see them around every corner. In the Indo-Pacific, (Anilao, Philippines to be exact) there are millions of lionfish everywhere, in a wide variety of colors and patterns. They tend to be smaller than those I see in the Caribbean, but they certainly outnumber those I see in the Caribbean. The question is, if they have natural enemies in the Indo-Pacific, then why are they behind every freakin' coral head? And, there is certainly an abundance of all other fish in the Indo-Pacific, so the lionfish have not taken over and they've had a very long time to do so.
Perhaps there is a balance that must first be reached, and it may take a thousand years (or a million!) to reach that balance in the Caribbean.
Hope it's sooner, but the ones we wiped out in Mayaguana will not make much of a difference in the long run.
#4
Posted 17 September 2011 - 09:06 AM
#5
Posted 17 September 2011 - 09:35 AM
They are in invasive series in this part of the world and should be eliminated here. Im not a biologist but I am not aware of an invasive species ever being eradicated once it moves in. I'm sure its happened but I don't think it will this time.
Eventually the caribbean fish will evolve for this threat also, if they are not wiped out first. That would be on the order of years, maybe decades, and the repercussions to the reef may not allow that to happen. Fish reproduce yearly and reach reproductive age quickly so I doubt it would take long than years.
Killing them all, if possible, would be best. They don't belong on this side of the world.
#6
Posted 17 September 2011 - 09:47 AM
Sadly other fish populations were much smaller as well since they compete for the same food supplies.
Contact me directly at Kamala@SingleDivers.com for your private or group travel needs or 864-557-6079 AND don't miss SD's 2018-2021 Trips! ....here! Most are once in a lifetime opportunities...don't miss the chance to go!!
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"Imitation is the sincerest flattery." - Gandhi
"Imitation is proof that originality is rare." - ScubaHawk
SingleDivers.com...often imitated...never duplicated!
Kamala Shadduck c/o SingleDivers.com LLC
2234 North Federal Hwy, #1010 Boca Raton, FL 33431
formerly...
710 Dive Buddy Lane; Salem, SC 29676
864-557-6079 tel/celfone/office or tollfree fax 888-480-0906
#7
Posted 20 September 2011 - 06:27 PM
If we could start a rumor that they're an aphrodesiac, they'd be fished-out in no time.
Rick
#8
Posted 20 September 2011 - 08:06 PM
That said, humans are very good at exterminating species. Just a matter of time still we figure out a way to do it.
#9
Posted 20 September 2011 - 08:06 PM
#10
Posted 21 September 2011 - 05:44 AM
#11
Posted 21 September 2011 - 08:21 AM
I think you have your causality backwards. Lionfish eat all the algae eaters, then the algae thrives.
That is my point Joe. The Philippines are crawling with lion fish and there is no algae problem So if in fact they eat all of the algae eaters why then no algae growth on the reef?
#12
Posted 21 September 2011 - 09:08 AM
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