Description

This fish, native to the Indo-Pacific region, arrived in 1992 after a Florida aquarium was destroyed during Hurricane Andrew. Since then, it has become highly invasive, with its population growing rapidly. Females can lay up to 30,000 eggs every 4 days—approximately 2.5 million eggs per year.

Additionally, its poisonous spines make it intimidating. These spines contain a neurotoxin that causes intense pain and can sometimes lead to temporary paralysis if stung.

Habitat

The lionfish is a common scorpionfish that inhabits reefs of the Indian Ocean. It had never been seen in the Atlantic prior to its invasion in 1992.

Why is it invasive?

It has almost no natural predators in the region. Meanwhile, it is a highly effective and aggressive predator itself, capable of consuming around 20 fish in 30 minutes. It feeds on a wide variety of fish, crabs, shrimp, and octopuses, posing a major threat to biodiversity.

Even though it does not eat corals directly, it preys on herbivorous fish that clean reefs, indirectly damaging many coral ecosystems.

The invasion first reached the Bahamas, but today the entire Greater Caribbean region is at risk: Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Haiti, the Virgin Islands, Belize, and Panama.

Control and eradication

Efforts are underway to reduce its impact. In Honduras, a program teaches fishermen and locals to hunt lionfish with spears.

Scientists are also training carnivorous predators—such as groupers, reef sharks, and moray eels—to eat lionfish by feeding them lionfish directly.

Another approach is to encourage humans to eat lionfish. Despite its venomous spines and bad reputation, it is edible. In Guadeloupe and Martinique, some chefs have already turned it into a gastronomic dish.