Lionfish have no natural predators in the Atlantic Ocean, and they feed on fish that clean the reef and keep them healthy, threatening the reef system.
Butterfly cod. Fins of feathers. Whatever the name, the lionfish (wingfish) looks just as cute. Lionfish have striking maroon, brown and white stripes on their bodies, and they swim through the water through their fan-shaped fins. The floating tentacles outline the lionfish's face, making the lionfish appear soft and delicate. But be careful! These mysterious beauties come here with stingers, and they are invading tropical waters around the world.
Quick suspicious facts
Lionfish come from the South Pacific and Indian Oceans, and their habitat extends from Australia all the way to Japan and South Korea. 12 different lionfish swim through the area, feeding on shrimp and small fish. The lionfish hide their prey in the corners of reefs and rocks, then strike suddenly, swallowing the prey in its entirety. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the lionfish is a voracious species whose stomach can expand to 30 times its normal size after a meal, which gives the lionfish plenty of room to stay for a few seconds.
Lionfish not only have a huge appetite, but also have similar preferences for reproduction. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), they reproduce year-round, meaning a mature female can release about 2 million eggs a year.
Juveniles are less than an inch (2.5 cm) long and can grow to 13 to 15 inches (33 to 38 cm) in adulthood. Unusually large lionfish have been spotted 300 feet (91 m) underwater, and these giant lionfish reproduce and eat even more than the smaller lionfish. According to National Geographic, lionfish can survive up to 15 years in the wild.
Regardless of size, all lionfish have spines on their backs, pelvis, and underside, which they use for defense. According to Irene Spencer, a young explorer at National Geographic, when a lionfish's spine pierces the flesh, stress drains the toxin from the two venom glands on the vertebrae. The venom passes through passages on both sides of the spine and through the spine into the victim.
Lionfish are a popular aquarium fish and invasive predator. Lionfish have soft, fluttering fins and poisonous spines.
A painful stab
For humans, lionfish spines can cause severe pain and sweating and, in extreme cases, difficulty breathing and paralysis. The intensity and duration of these effects depends on the individual's sensitivity to the toxins and the number of punctures through them. According to Medscape, the only known treatment is to remove the spinal cord and soak the wound in hot water no higher than 114 degrees Fahrenheit (45.6 degrees Celsius), which helps break down toxins. The pain usually subsides after one to two days, but sometimes it lasts for several weeks.
Few studies have investigated what makes lionfish sting so painful. Some toxins do not act specifically, they indiscriminately pierce cell membranes. However, a 2018 study published in the journal Pain showed that the venom of lionfish specifically targeted nerve cells that transmit pain signals throughout the body.
"You can isolate the vegetable cells of lionfish poison from the dorsal root ganglia (cluster of sensory nerve cells in the spinal cord), and they act on a subset of these cells that are specifically responsible for perceiving pain," said Stephanie Mouchbahani-Constance, the study's lead author at McGill University in Montreal as a graduate student. "It shows that venom evolved only to cause pain — it didn't want to kill, it didn't want to be paralyzed."
Mouchbahani-Constance said future studies will explore how venom works at the molecular level and how predators of lionfish can safely eat lionfish. She said further research into how lionfish venom causes pain could develop an antidote.
In Belize's coastal waters, WCS is working with local fishermen to promote sustainable fishing practices.
Lionfish invasion
Although the lionfish is known for its venom and flowing fins, it is also known as an invasive invasive species. Far from the Indo-Pacific, lionfish are now found everywhere in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic coast of the eastern United States from Florida to North Carolina. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the lionfish invasion began off the coast of South Florida in 1985, when lionfish were likely released after being purchased as an aquarium fish. By the beginning of the 21st century, the east coast was rich in lion fins.
But this spread did not stop; Research now suggests that the invasion of lionfish also hit the Mediterranean.
Lionfish have no natural predators outside the Indo-Pacific Ocean, so the number of invading lionfish naturally swells. Even sharks don't chase gorgeous invaders.
Meanwhile, lionfish are devouring native fish at an alarming rate. In the Bahamas, lionfish kill about 65 to 95 percent of local small reef fish in just 30 years, according to Oweana. According to a 2009 report, lionfish are densely concentrated in more than 350 per hectare on some coral reefs due to the massive feeding and reproduction of lionfish.
Since invading lionfish lack natural predators, humans have stepped in to control their spread. Scientists hope to reduce lionfish populations so native fish can recover. Studies have shown that lionfish have been devouring rare fish even before humans spotted them.
In addition to eating fish of great ecological value, lionfish also eat commercial fish in large quantities, which could otherwise become food on the table of some people. Professional fishermen also have a big stake in this game.
Fight flooding
Some organizations hold fishing competitions called derbies to quickly clear many lionfish from a given area. In these competitions, participants catch the most, largest or smallest lionfish within a specified time and receive a reward. Divers can attract thousands of lionfish in a single day, and research shows that these efforts pay off. The constant reduction of lionfish populations from specific locations is enough to increase the number of native fish.
But many lionfish live in places out of reach of spear-catchers. A 2017 study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science showed that lionfish thrive deep below traditional diving limits, grow larger and reproduce faster than fish living in shallow waters. These deep-sea fish fled as soon as they saw humans, suggesting that the animals spent part of their lives at shallower depths and learned to avoid catching.
To reach these lionfish, which live in the deep sea, iRobot designed a diving robot with a deadly electric shock. According to Florida WFSU News, other scientists are developing deep-sea drones, improved lobster traps, and shrimp traps that lure lionfish with seductive sounds. As lionfish invasions continue, efforts to stop lionfish invasions will have to become increasingly creative.
Lionfish are an invasive species in the western Atlantic and Caribbean, and once the poisonous spines are removed, the lionfish can be turned into food
If you can't beat them, eat them!
Lionfish are highly toxic, not poisonous, meaning they release toxins through needles, which are their thorns. On the other hand, the toxins of toxic organisms must be ingested in order to exert their magic. Lionfish do not have a spine, they cannot inject venom. This feature means that as long as the lionfish avoids annoying spines, it is safe to catch, cook and eat the lionfish.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration launched the "Eat The Lionfish" campaign, and the Coral Reef Environmental Education Foundation published a lionfish cookbook. Cooking lionfish breaks down toxins around the spine, leaving only tender flaky fish flesh.
Environmental groups want to create a short-lived market for lionfish that eliminates invaders without generating long-term demand. According to VOA, some invasive species experts doubt the effectiveness of this cooking control strategy because it has been used against other species in the past but failed. However, some restaurants have kept up with this trend.