Home  News Regional News Poisonous predator prowls Caribbean waters
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Poisonous predator prowls Caribbean waters |
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Monday, 18 August 2008 |
 Likened to the plague, a maroon-striped predator is rapidly reproducing in Caribbean waters, wolfing down indigenous species, hurting divers and essentially upsetting the equilibrium of the delicate underwater area.
Native to the Indian and Pacific oceans, the venomous lionfish, is appearing everywhere from the coast of Cuba to Cayman, The Bahamas and beyond. According to reports, it may have escaped from a Florida fish tank.
With the ability to adapt to its environment, the lionfish whose poisonous spikes are deadly, is known for eating fish and crustaceans as big as half its size in one gulp. According to research teams, who have seen the master at work, it can 20 small fish in less than half an hour.
According to Mark Hixon, a marine ecology expert at Oregon State University, "This may very well become the most devastating marine invasion in history. There is probably no way to stop the invasion completely."
The Bahamas is highly concentrated with the lionfish, which has been seen in many areas – deep and shallow and even in the delicate mangroves.
Though the slow moving lionfish, which is about 18 inches long, is not aggressive to humans, they have stung a myriad of divers and tourists alike.
Marine biologists and fishing industries are concerned that the invasion can prove devastating if the lionfish is not under control.
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