The invasion of the Atlantic and Caribbean Oceans by lionfish has been reported as a significant threat to the balance of the ocean ecosystem. Their rapid population growth poses a serious threat to the region’s coral reefs because it eats up almost all smaller organism; hence upsetting the ecological balance of the coral reef. Lionfish multiply quickly: a single female spawns more than 2 million eggs per year. More proactive steps should be taken by international oceanic agencies to curtail the further proliferation of the predator (Bellis et al., 2012).

The Lionfish, especially the Pterois and P. volitans, are highly voracious, they compete with and outgrow native predators. Bellis et al. (2012) reported that lionfish have caused over 79% decrease in the population of native fish and have the potential to reduce the coral and spongy to zero. Lionfish are described as “invasive species” because they outgrow and outcompete for native species for food, and have no natural predators (REEF, 2007). An adult lionfish can grow up to almost three pounds and eat nearly every organism smaller in sizes, such as crustaceans and small fish. As of now, no one has full knowledge about how lionfish were introduced into the ocean, but research has shown that pet owners who could no longer manage the aquarium emptied the predatory fish into the sea.

Since it was first sighted in 2001, Lionfish has expanded to the Georgia, Bahama and throughout much of the Caribbean. The accelerated negative impact of its activities on coral reefs demands an urgent and concerted international response. The coral reef houses over 25% of ocean biodiversity and many fishes and even human depends on the coral reefs for survival. More importantly, the voracious lionfish are consuming these reefs, and this has the potential of a negative impact of fisheries and tourism industry. Also, Beukering et al. reported in 2014 that economic sectors such as fisheries and tourism might potentially suffer massive damages as a result of the degradation of the natural resources they depend on (Beukering, Brouwer, & Ebanks-petrie, 2014).

Organisations such as the United Nations Fishery and Agricultural Organisations (FAO), Regional Fishery Management Organisations (RFMOs), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the UNESCO, International Maritime Organisation and government of the various concerned nations should consider the activities of lionfish as a matter that demands international urgency and take decisive steps towards curtailing their increase. One of the primary reason for the sporadic proliferation of lionfish is because it does not have natural predators, so the bodies mentioned above should work towards incentivising harvesting and consumption of lionfish. Also, as complete eradication is not currently viable, learning how the lionfish can be beneficial to society is crucial to the invasive situation (Bellis et al., 2012). Pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies could collaborate with fishers and divers to carry out in-depth medical research into the potential benefits of the venom carried by lionfish to healthcare.

With their voracious eating, reproductive rate and high adaptation capability of lionfish, if not prevented, there is a high possibility that the population of juvenile fish that repopulate the coral reef will be destroyed, and all organisms and business that depends on them will be impacted. 

Reference

• Bellis, B., Caro, C., Zabel, C., Howard, H., Montminy, J., Dennis, K. (2012). Lionfish, 1–11.
• Beukering, P. Van, Brouwer, R., & Ebanks-petrie, G. (2014). IVM Institute for Environmental Studies, 476 (August).
• Weintraub, Ben. “Lionfish Derbies.” REEF. N.p., 2007. Web. <http://www.reef.org/lionfish/derbies> [Accessed 20 May, 2018].