Invasive Species Prevention
NOAA SAYS INVASIVE SPECIES PREVENTION AND CONTROL FOCUS NEEDED ON NON-NATIVE LIONFISH
NOAA researchers reported that non-native lionfish populations will continue to grow and cannot be eliminated practically using conventional methods.
Lionfish have taken hold along the southeast United States coast, placing divers and fishermen at significant risks from their painful, venomous sting, as well as leaving native fish populations potentially susceptible to new and unstudied hazards from their interactions with this species. The scientists explained that the cost and effort to dispatch trained divers-the only effective elimination method currently known-would be impractical, partly due to the expansive deepwater reef habitats of the Southeast coast of the United States and Bahamas, an area encompassing more than 62,000 square miles. Full Story