Lionfish - Alien Invasion

Beauty and timidity belie the lionfish’s true demeanor; that of an efficient predator. Docile during the day, the lionfish is a very effective hunter at night. It uses its fanned-out pectoral fins, like fingers, to trap small prey  which it stuns with its venomous dorsal spines before swallowing them whole.

An adult lionfish is a voracious eater that can consume up to .30oz (8.5g) of prey daily. It mainly eats fish including gobies, wrasse, sea basses and cardinal fish but also eats crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs.

Mary and I were in Cozumel recently and all the dive masters were talking about lionfish sightings. We did not see a lionfish on our dives but did see pictures of one found at a dive site called Chankanaab. This is very disturbing because the lionfish is an invasive species to the Americas probably introduced in 1992 after a hurricane destroyed an aquarium.

Having few, if any, natural enemies and being a literal eating and breeding machine the lionfish has now been spotted in most of the Caribbean. See how the lionfish has spread across the Caribbean since 1992 in the chart, below, produced by the U.S. Geological Survey. If you see a lionfish, in the Caribbean, do not try to kill or capture it. The USGS asks that you file a report of the sighting at the usgs.gov site.

The concern around any invasive species, and especially the lionfish, is that it will cause harm to the reefs by eating the small fishes necessary to maintain the health of the reef.

A concern for divers and fishermen is that the dorsal, pelvic and anal spines are venomous. The spines are T-shaped and covered by a sheath of skin. If the spine penetrates tissue, the skin sheath is pushed back and the venomous glandular tissue comes in contact with the puncture wound.

If stung it really hurts so seek or give pain relief medicine as quickly as possible. If possible elevate the body part while seeking medical attention. Heat is very effective in reducing the pain. Place the wounded area in hot water, the hotter the better, (110F to 113F or 43.3C to 45C) for 30-90 minutes.

Lionfish are native to and abundant in the Pacific. The photograph used in this post were taken by me at 103 feet at a dive site called The Zoo. This dive site is located between Tavenui and Vanua Levu islands in Fiji in the blazingly swift current of the Somosomo Strait at the famous Rainbow Reef.