Meet the Indo – Pacific Red Lionfish,
the
Caribbean’s Most Wanted
Red Lionfish
A.K.A.—Pterois Volitans
Article By:
Neil van Niekerk & Savanna Barry
The RAP Sheet
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In the Caribbean, a single female lionfish can spawn over 2 million eggs per year
Lionfish have the potential to reproduce every 4 days, throughout the year
Lionfish eggs are held together in a gelatinous mass and are dispersed at the ocean’s
surface by currents, where their larval duration is about 26 days
Lionfish become sexually mature in less than 1-year
Lionfish may live longer than 15 years, reaching sizes exceeding 47cm (~20 in.)
Lionfish inhabit all marine habitat types and depths (shoreline to over 600’)
Lionfish possess venomous spines capable of deterring predators and inflicting serious
stings and reactions in humans
Lionfish are indiscriminate predators with voracious appetites
Two visually identical species of lionfish were introduced into the Atlantic via the U.S. aquarium trade
in 1990’s and have been documented from Massachusetts on the U.S. East Coast to South America,
including the Gulf of Mexico, Bermuda and throughout the Bahamas.
Other Caribbean nations such as Turks and Caicos, Cuba and the Cayman Islands are also affected.
Their expansion has been extremely rapid and exponential in scope and follows the patterns of
current movements around the U.S. East Coast and Western Atlantic on into the Caribbean.
Reward Parody. No monetary reward offered.
If you ask a marine biologist...
why lionfish are such successful invaders they will respond with
a laundry list of ecological characteristics that combine to paint
a nasty picture of an even nastier fish.
Among these characteristics you will always hear ‘lionfish lack
natural predators’.
Well, on
Little Cayman we beg to differ.
The resident dive masters qualify as predators in every sense of
the word AND they hunt in packs…
The Little Cayman dive resorts, including the Southern Cross Club, Little Cayman Beach Resort,
Pirates Point Resort, Conch Club Divers and Paradise Villas, have all made a serious commitment to
the reduction of the lionfish population in the world famous Bloody Bay Marine Park. The effort is being
backed by all of the resorts which have teamed together for weekly lionfish hunts. Each week a different
resort donates boat hours and all four resorts allow staff to attend.
The Cayman Islands Government
has recognized the importance of
this environmental predicament,
and through the Department of
Environment, have begun
licensing the local dive master
population in an effort to cull the
Lionfish population.
Until recently, local Cayman laws
have prohibited the culling or
removal of any fish inside a
marine park, and the use of
spears has been illegal since the
establishment of the marine
parks in an effort to conserve the
environment. Thankfully, through
insight and education, the laws
have been adapted to allow for
the effective culling of this
invasive species.
The Lionfish culls on Little
Cayman are organized by the
Central Caribbean Marine
Institute (CCMI), who are using
this unique opportunity to collect
data on the effectiveness of
lionfish removal efforts.
Data of this type is desperately
needed to build accurate models
and plan for the future of lionfish
population management.
Researchers on staff at CCMI are
analyzing stomach contents,
reproductive maturity, age and
growth of the lionfish. Otoliths
are the tool used to determine
age, and in a sense are small
stones that help to orient and
position the fish in the water
column. Each year they lay down
rings made of calcium carbonate
and by sectioning these tiny
structures and counting the
number of rings present,
researchers can determine the
age of that particular fish.
Nurse Shark—Mixing Bowl, Little Cayman
While we currently do not have age and growth information for this
area available, similar data collected from other areas in the Caribbean
suggests that this invasive population of lionfish is growing larger and
faster than their Pacific cousins. We hope that once the data from Little
Cayman is analyzed, it will provide scientists with more accurate
information that will in turn help us to make better management
decisions.
In addition to the lionfish culls, CCMI also hosts appreciation barbeques
for the participating dive masters using the Lionfish caught on the
hunts. Lionfish meat is very palatable which offers extra incentive to
continue the push to collect more fish.
All of the dive resorts and CCMI recognize the importance of controlling
the local lionfish population, even if operating costs increase due to
extra boat time and man hours. The weekly culls have become so
popular that space on the dive boat has become a premium with a
Local legend Ron Thompson
priceless look on the latecomer’s faces as they loose their spot to an
increasing waiting list. With single catches reaching triple figures and
joining the fight
with the added excitement of the hunt as well as the camaraderie
around the bar afterwards, it’s easy to understand why the culls are so popular amongst the dive masters.
With the Little Cayman community this invested, they have an excellent opportunity to set the standard for
the rest of the Caribbean with regard to controlling the lionfish. Furthermore, besides the obvious positive
impact on the environment, Scientists and Reef Managers have a better opportunity to understand whether
culling over a controlled area for an extended period of time can be successful, and possibly how much effort
it will take to reduce the impact of this invasion. These results may provide the impetus for a more regional
effort in the future.
The Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) is an international non-profit organization with over 10 years
of environmental leadership in the Cayman Islands. Since its first years, CCMI has proven a valuable asset to
the effort of understanding the factors that lead to coral reef sustainability and the factors that are stressing
this ecosystem. The success in ecosystem sustainability relies on long-term data collection and analysis,
excellence in reporting and communicating results, and by inspiring environmental stewardship through
education and outreach programs such as this Lionfish culling program.
With the Cayman Islands as the focal point for all activities, the research and the field station of the Central
Caribbean Marine Institute offers a unique and important reference for coral reef studies. Since opening in
2006, the field station, the Little Cayman Research Centre has attracted over 50 scientists from 7 countries.
Caught in action below by CCMI Lionfish researcher Savanna Barry,
a 4 Inch Creole Wrasse being eaten by a Lionfish.
The CCMI “Dollar
a Dive” initiative These fish can ingest prey well in excess of half their body length.
allows visiting
divers to donate
funds which are
used directly by
the Little Cayman
Research Centre
to fund activities
like the Lionfish
culling initiative.
A Dollar a Dive BCD Tag shows the divers
commitment to the environment.
“...The dive masters have also been training the Nassau Groupers to eat
and also hunt the Lionfish with surprising success…”
Lionfish are generalist,
indiscriminate carnivores
that consume in excess of
56 species of fish and
many invertebrate species,
with prey in excess of half
the lionfish’s body size.
Scientists have recorded
up to 22 fish in a single
lionfish stomach as these
opportunistic predators
feed a high metabolism,
spurring their exceptional
reproductive rate.
Grouper Hunting Lionfish
Great Wall West—Little Cayman
The aggressive feeding
behavior of the lionfish
may impact multiple
trophic levels by reducing
the abundance of other
herbivorous fishes that
keep seaweeds and
macroalgae from
overgrowing corals.
The Little Cayman dive masters have been training the
Nassau Groupers to eat and also hunt the Lionfish with
surprising success. Little Cayman has the largest spawning
site of Nassau Groupers in the Cayman Islands.
These groupers have been witnessed hunting the Lionfish in
the Bloody Bay Marine Park indicating that this important
and threatened grouper species may be a critical part of
nature’s own solution over time.
The overwhelming consensus among scientists is that lionfish
eradication will be impossible due to the geographical
extent of the invasion. However, efforts with a high level of
commitment such as the one on Little Cayman can make a
large difference in localized areas such as the Bloody Bay
Marine Park.
The outpouring of support and community action in Little
Cayman should be used as an example for other
communities wishing to make a dent in their local batch of
venomous invaders.
Randy’s Gazebo—Little Cayman
References: Cayman Islands Department of Environment, Central Caribbean Marine Institute, REEF, NOAA,USGS, Simon Fraser University