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Ecology: Eat more lionfish!

M.S. Wiggins

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When it comes to the invasive lionfish, say NOAA scientists, ‘If we can’t beat them, let’s eat them!


The lionfish, a native of the Western Pacific Ocean, is a venomous, voracious predator that’s flourishing in coastal waters of the U.S. Southeast and the Caribbean. In North Carolina alone, local densities have increased 700 percent between 2004 and 2008, according to scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science.

This invasive species has the potential to harm reef ecosystems because it is a top predator that competes for food and space with overfished native stocks such as snapper and grouper. Scientists fear that lionfish will also kill off helpful species such as algae-eating parrotfish, allowing seaweed to overtake the reefs.

In the United States, the lionfish population, which inhabits the coast from North Carolina to South Florida, will likely continue to increase in the coming years. This is largely because lionfish have no known predators and reproduce all year long; a mature female releases roughly two million eggs a year.


Or catch and fillet them yourself:

Chef Gordon Ramsay hunts for lionfish to cook.