"The Sea Creature of the Week"
Indo-Pacific Red Lionfish
Pterois volitans
If you have ever been snorkeling or diving in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, or Caribbean Sea....you probably came in contact with this animal. This exotic, yet invasive fish, is taking over the waters in a BAD, BAD, very BAD way. I wanted to educate my readers, who may not know, what to do if you ever have an encounter with one. The red lionfish found its way off the coast of Florida in the 1980's. It has been said, due to hurricanes tearing down homes and/or maybe a fish hobbyist no longer wanting the fish, these fish ended up being dumped into the Atlantic Ocean. This has caused the red lionfish to populate in an environment that is NOT where they are originally from. Red lionfish are native in the Indo-Pacific region....waaaaay on the other side of the world. The Atlantic Ocean ecosystem does not have the same structure to support this fish, therefore they over-populate. Unfortunately, since the 1980's they have populated the waters around the Atlantic Ocean and have caused scientist to worry about the destruction they are causing. Read what CNN news reported, "Lionfish are not native to the Atlantic Ocean. The venomous, fast reproducing fish are aggressive eaters and will consume anything and everything, gorging so much they are actually getting liver disease. With no known predators -- except human beings -- they can wipe out 90% of a reef."
So if you ever come across one of these invasive animals....report it!!! Here are a couple of pictures and some website links to check out for more information! :-)
How to report a lionfish sighting -
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