Andros - So What's With These Lionfish???

I thought I would provide a little more background on the Lionfish... They shouldn't be here!

Lionfish are native to the Pacific, or Indo-Pacific to be more precise. There are a number of theories for how they got to the Atlantic coast, (they were originally discovered by divers off the North Carolina Coast). These theories include but are not limited to: larvae dumped from shipping vessel ballast water, release from home aquariums, accidental release from a Public Aquarium (Florida Aquarium damaged in a 1992 storm documented the "escape" of 6 Lionfish), and even the possibility they traveled through the Panama Canal or across the Atlantic. Bottom line is no one knows for sure.

The problem with this invasive species is they are highly toxic and have few if any natural predators in their native waters, let alone here. They sit atop the food chain, and could cause a lot of havoc. Their spines contain a relatively strong neuromuscular toxin that causes severe pain, and could even lead to paralysis or death in rare cases. Now, that would be fine if they stayed 80 to 260' as mentioned in this NOAA article (read for much more information), but we have spotted 12 so far in just a few days, in water depths ranging from 60' to as little as 3'... yes, only 3 feet.

While snorkeling today, we stumbled on a group of Lionfish right off the dock of our Andros Island resort. There were seven total within a few feet of each other, ranging in size from juvenile to full adult. This poses a problem as this area is close to the mangroves and serves are a nursery for many species of fish. Not only will the Lionfish prey on the young we saw throughout this area, but they will also compete for food with the existing fish, such as the small barracuda and the adult mangrove snapper that we observed in this same location. Only time will tell how this species will truly impact the marine ecosystem.

By the way, there are now only five... ;-)