equate to threats like befoulment , touristry , evolution , and climate change , the ornately frilled lionfish might not seem like much of a threat to the worldly concern ’s seas . But this exotic aquatic animal — an invasive and ravening predator — has been the scourge of the westerly Atlantic , the Caribbean , and the Gulf of Mexico for most of the preceding ten , asAl Jazeera Americareports .
In the 1980s , erstwhile aquarium ownersreportedly dumped their lionfish — which are native to the Pacific and Amerindic sea — into the Atlantic . Around 2007 , the universe started increasing at a precipitous rate .
Scientists do n’t know exactly why this happened . However , they do make out that the lionfish has no known predators . They ’re immune to disease and infection . And distaff lionfish canlay up to 2 million eggs per year .
Lionfish also are n’t as airy as they appear . They are vicious piranha , consuming more than 50 metal money of fish , some of which are two - third of the lionfish ’s own body size of it ( about a animal foot long ) . They bolt up juvenile grouper , snapper , flounder , and other " table fish , " which are important for Florida ’s economic system . And since lionfish areusually immune to baits or trap , divers generally have to kill them with spears one at a time .
Spearing lionfish is a knavish occupation — they have18 venomous spinesthat can visit seriously painful injuries , and the Pisces the Fishes do n’t fear humanity . They can also survive in waters too inscrutable for recreational divers to reach . While enterprising individuals areinventing new potential trapsand hostinglionfish search derbies , there ’s still no well-off way to diminish the encroachment .
As a landlubber , what can you do to aid subside the lionfish harm?Order it in restaurants . It ’s white , flaky , and reportedly tastes like a cross between a grouper and a hogg common snapping turtle . Hopefully , culinary need for the lionfish will help control the exploding population , and help repossess the urine .
[ h / tAl Jazeera America ]
