Photo by RIchard Carey, used with permission
Welcome to I Spear Lionfish.org
In May 2009, Alfredo Joseph, a staff member of Bocas Water Sports, was scuba diving at a local reef called The Playground when he saw feathery fins gently wafting around a large outcropping of coral before vanishing from sight. Alfredo swam around the coral head to see where the fish had disappeared to. It hadn't gone far. Waiting on the other side, unafraid and firmly holding its ground, was a fish Alfredo had never before encountered in Bocas waters. He snapped a photo and upon returning to the shop, showed it to BWS owner Jon Schneiderman who was immediately alarmed. Jon asked Alfredo to return to the spot the next morning and try to capture the fish alive, which he did. That afternoon, Jon sent a photo of the new invader along with a warning article to the Bocas Breeze, which we published in our July 2009 issue. Jon knew firsthand what damage these fish had done to reefs in Florida and hoped that it couldn't happen here.
Ten months later, his worst fears have come to pass. Bocas is overrun with lionfish.
Lionfish are not native to Caribbean waters. Originally found only in Pacific waters of Asia, they have entered, permeated and threaten to destroy marine environments throughout the Caribbean. Aquarium dumping of the popular imported fish is the likely source of their introduction to the Atlantic. It is suspected that possibly only four female specimens, as DNA profiles suggest, were dumped into the Atlantic off the east coast of Florida. Spreading from Florida waters, where the Pacific lionfish was first sighted in 1985, the invasive species has inundated reefs from the Bahamas to Belize, Turks and Caicos and further points south. They have been in Bocas less than a year, but seem intent on completely taking over the reefs. They have the ability to do so.
A few facts culled from the Internet:
1. Within the last four years, some Caribbean locales have seen a 500-fold increase in the lionfish population.
2. A recent study found that the survival of all other reef fishes in an area invaded by lionfish is reduced by 80%
3. In the Caribbean, lionfish have no natural controls – that is, predators – and this apparently has encouraged them to reproduce at the astonishing rate of every 55 days … with a single female releasing 30,000 eggs at a time.
4. Lionfish can eat other fish up to almost 75% their own length. They have voracious appetites: one large specimen was observed eating 20 small fish within a half hour. They feed on more than 40 species of prey fish which are important to the survival of economically important species such as snappers and groupers. Furthermore, the stomach of a lionfish can expand over 30 times its natural volume when the fish has a large meal.
5. The term "invasive species" refers to alien organisms capable of competing with native ones and altering their habits, reducing biodiversity and possibly bringing about the extinction of indigenous flora and fauna. Invasive species are likely to cause economic and environmental harm along with adversely affecting human health. The invasive lionfish is now considered one of the most numerous predatory reef fishes in the Caribbean.
6. While being the least venomous of the Scorpionfish family, the toxin from their spines can nonetheless be extremely painful. According to a recent NOAA report: Lionfish interactions with humans will continue to increase as lionfish densities increase. The number of envenomations of recreational swimmers, fishers and divers will (accordingly) increase.
We can not sit idly by and allow this invasion. It's time to act. As other Caribbean islanders discovered before us, without attempts at management of lionfish populations, their density will increase significantly and effects on the ecosystem will quickly become more evident. Soon the only reef fish we may be seeing will be lionfish.
Jon Schneiderman took matters in hand from the very beginning. He and his divers have captured many lionfish and taken them to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute for DNA testing. He has also given his staff the green light to spear any lionfish they see when not teaching a class or guiding a tour group. It is hoped that other dive shops in the area will follow Jon's example and help to reduce the lionfish population by any means and methods available.
After researching the invasive lionfish problem for several weeks, I founded a non-profit organization called I Spear Lionfish (www.ispearlionfish.org) (also on FaceBook). My intention is to spread the word – locally and globally – about the Bocas lionfish invasion in the hopes that we can generate enough interest and support to do something about it.
I have had t-shirts made up, ordered decals, have been printing and distributing flyers, and presented Bocas mayor Dr. Joe Anderson with a summary of the lionfish problem Bocas faces. In that report, I expressed the need for Panama's Minister of Tourism Salomon Shamah to be aware of the ecological and economical ramifications that could occur if the government does not also take measures, or help with ours, in an attempt to reduce and control the lionfish population.
Before anyone jumps in the water and starts spearing lionfish, however, he or she needs to know the dangers involved. The dorsal, anal and pelvic spines of a lionfish are, as already mentioned, poisonous. Even a small brush with one spine can result in intense pain that may last for hours. And that may be the least of the victim's worries. (See an accompanying article in this issue that details First Aid and suggested treatment of lionfish stings.)
I encourage Bocas Breeze readers to join the I Spear Lionfish organization to learn more about the species and the environmental war we need to wage against them. Our immediate and far-reaching goals are to minimize the damage lionfish can do through community education. We want to teach divers how to identify them, how to safely capture or spear them, and even how to clean and cook a lionfish (they are a considered a delicacy).
It's time to repel the invaders, stop the infestation and save our reefs.
