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Bahamas: The venomous Asian lionfish could jeopardize the local fishing sector
Related to country: Bahamas

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Lionfish Threatening Industry:
By Macushla N. Pinder -
Nassau, Bahamas:


Marine officials are seriously concerned about the growing numbers of the venomous lionfish in Bahamian waters, which the Deputy Director of Marine Resources has insisted could jeopardize the local fishing sector.
Atlantic Lionfish
According to Edison Deleveaux, Bahamians have recently encountered the lionfish on a very frequent basis, an indication that the species has become "very common" in The Bahamas.

There is also the issue of the species having no natural predators in the Atlantic Ocean.

"The information we have is that they have been observed eating our commercially viable species like grunts and groupers and these are matters which are still being investigated."

"If these stories are true, this can have a profound impact on our commercial fishing industry, in that they are feeding on the various species that form the basis of this sector."
Atlantic Lionfish
The local fishing sector brought in $92 million last year and $100 million in 2005.

"We are very concerned about this. This is why we are doing the research to determine exactly what is happening," Mr. Deleveaux said.

"We know that the species is multiplying while in our waters hence the increase in numbers," Mr. Deleveaux said in a recent interview with the Bahama Journal.

"Two to three years ago, we would have never heard of someone sighting this particular species. But the species has recently become abundant in that they are been sighted almost on a daily basis."
Atlantic Lionfish
A native of the Indo-Pacific region, the juvenile lionfish measuring between three and four inches long – was discovered by aquarium divers on an expedition to Atlantic waters off The Bahamas several months ago.

According to Mr. Deleveaux, there are several hypotheses as to how and why the lionfish adopted The Bahamas as home.

"There is some claim that the species came into The Bahamas during hurricanes Frances and Jeanne considering that the fish has been known to exist in Florida waters for some time," the Deputy Director said.

"But again as with any invasive species, we cannot say this is a case of the wrong fish in the wrong ocean because there may be persons who find they cannot take care of an exotic species and dump them into a new environment where the species thrive."

In an effort to establish an invasion management program and policy development, The Department of Marine Resources in collaboration with the College of The Bahamas Marine and Environmental Studies Institute (COB-MESI) recently launched an online Lionfish Sighting Survey.

The survey allows ecological research to determine what affects the lionfish invasion has on our marine resources.

24 November 2007

November 25, 2007 | 9:03 AM Comments  0 comments

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