Ila Bumagin, Junior
Here in New England, when our fish die, we flush them down the toilet. In Florida, they throw them into the ocean. From the get go, you might be able to see why this is a problem. It messes up the ecosystem, the environment, and the economy.
The species Lionfish live happily ever after in the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. There, they thrive, they are part of the ecosystem, and they make a huge profit for the fisheries. So, in their native environment, Lionfish are perfect. But like all invasive species, out of their natural habitat, they are a menace.
Since they were first spotted in Miami in 1985, Lionfish have taken over waters from Florida to Cuba. The farthest they have reached is north to Rhode Island and south to Brazil. According to “Fish Kebabs” by D.T. Max, Lionfish can destroy 80% of other species in just five weeks. They lay eggs rapidly, they have huge appetites, and nothing eats them. They are poisonous, so no other animals eat them, and they are even poisonous to humans. While they are not afraid of humans and don’t really have the ability to attack, Lionfish have the ability to lunge forward and sting someone. This is dangerous to unsuspecting swimmers, and also to any other animals living near them.
The Lionfish have an uncanny ability to adapt. They actually grow bigger in Atlantic waters than in Pacific waters, and they eat more fish here than they did there. They can live in places like estuaries, where salt water is barely salt water. In addition, they are not afraid of humans or what should be predatory fish. While this makes them easy to kill, no other animals will eat them because they do not like the foreign creatures. Environmentalists have only recently realized the extent to which Lionfish have decimated the fish population and destroyed the coral reefs. It’s bad. At first, environmentalists tried to not kill the Lionfish – they increased the predators by rebuilding some fish populations, and they tried to feed Lionfish to sharks. However, this did not really work. Eventually, it was decided the only way to kill Lionfish effectively was to spear them. Yes, with a spear. And yes, by hand. So, hunting parties in Florida have made it their mission to dive deep into the water and spear hundreds to thousands of Lionfish. While this has proved the most effective way of killing them, it doesn’t stop the living ones from multiplying.
The Lionfish kill the coral. They kill fish, and with no fish, the fishing economy has a problem. While Lionfish sell for good profit, it’s not exactly sustainable. In fact, we hope it’s not. We don’t want Lionfish sticking around.
The best way to stop Lionfish, as mentioned above, is to spear them one by one. This is a slow process, and I imagine you don’t want to don a wetsuit and take a dive. However, there are ways to help. Firstly, you can report sightings of them. There are organizations that keep track of where they are living, and that helps researchers. Secondly, eat them! It will help the fisheries, and maybe provide some new and crazy recipes. But all the while keep in mind that while our waters are safe right now, the Lionfish are spreading. Beware!