Lionfish, enticing
but dangerous creatures, invade the ocean floors and threaten many other fish
within their destructive range. Lionfish reproduce at a young age, mature
quickly, and have little to no predators in their natural habitats, which has
lead to an influx in their population. However, this not only threatens the
direct targets of the lionfish (such as reef fish) but also indirectly affects
the life on land.
Having little
predators, these lionfish feed on all the prey of some other iconic fish such
as groupers. Without food, these groupers and other important fish will slowly
dwindle in numbers, affecting the food supply above water. A dent in the
lionfish population can most effectively be created through commercialization and
heightened attraction for human consumption. However, not many humans have been
attracted to lionfish as a source of food, and fishing these creatures serve no
enticing promise.
Personally, I
believe that a small push towards more restaurants and seafood markets serving
lionfish will effect the overall sea population in a positive way. Although we would
tamper with the natural upbringings, we would not completely reverse it. If
local owned shops and restaurants offer lionfish as an option, more people
would be attracted and therefore lower the population of lionfish but not
endanger it. Click to Read Full Article
I agree with Ciara that if the commercialization of the lion fish was heightened, then there can be a dent in their population . With Lionfish having little to no predators in their environment, that causes a natural influx in their population. But that fact that they target grouper, means that this puts businesses at risk for not having enough product to sell. Personally I have never heard of lion fish before and when doing research on them, Lionfish are not even native to the Atlantic Ocean. They are actually found in the pacific, but it is found that maybe Aquariums dump the unwanted lion fish into the Atlantic, which maybe made a population of them. I agree with Ciara's solution but I also feel that maybe scientists can find another purpose for Lionfish in the Atlantic.
ReplyDeletehttp://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/lionfish.html
I agree that pushing lionfish as a food source is definitely the way to reduce their population. Just look at the impacts commercialized fishing has had on grouper, Atlantic Salmon, and Redfish- all species that are considered endangered at the highest level by Greenpeace. (article: http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/so-much-for-fish-chips-greenpeace-list-of-most-over-fished-species.html) Moreover, since lionfish is not a native fish to the Atlantic, humans do not need to worry about pushing them to the brink of extinction. If they were completely exterminated by fishing efforts, the ecosystem would simply go back to the original food web. With the shrink in the lionfish population, other species would probably increase (such as grouper that they are notorious with eating)- making our Atlantic Ecosystem more balanced.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, instead of simply making a push for fishermen to sale this fish to restaurants, the public needs to be notified of how healthy lionfish meat is. As Sailors for the Sea states this meat is “Claimed to be the "ultimate in guilt-free eating - delicious, nutritious and eco-conscious". The high concentration of omega fatty acids pushes this fish above all others in their fish classification. This is something most individuals simply are not aware of. As the American society has begun to combat unhealthy lifestyles through both exercise and food choices, lionfish could become a “trendy” food option that would serve as a solution to their invasion of our seas.
Information about lionfish health benefits came from : http://sailorsforthesea.org/resources/ocean-watch/lionfish-invasion
Encouraging Lionfish Consumption
ReplyDeleteI also agree that by encouraging human consumption of lionfish, mankind could effectively restrict the species' population. As we have observed the limiting of local deer populations via promotion of hunting, lionfish populations could also be controlled.
From many articles I've read over the past few years, I have learned that lionfish are an invasive species to these waters which makes them much more dangerous. To account for this, there is no limit on how many you can catch per day. Doing this is supposed to help reduce the population of these fish, as it encourages consumers of lionfish to take as much as they want. But as you stated, not many people know of te lionfish and it's edibility.
ReplyDelete