TheoceanisadeeperhueofblueoffthecoastofFlorida.About30meters(100feet)down,thewaterisclear.Thecolorsofthereefarebrilliant.Nearablazingorangebarrelspongeisagroupoffish.Theyseemtohang,motionlessly,inthewater.Theylooklikeaherdoflazyzebras,onlytheirstripesarereddish‑brownand white.
Aroundtheirmouthsandabovetheireyesarefleshyknobs.Juttingfromtheirbacksandfinsaredeadlyspines.Theylookmenacingandbeautifulatthesame time.
Ashortdistanceaway,adiverappears.Heaimsthebarbedendofaspeargunattheheadofthenearestfish.Hepullsthetriggerandstrikesthefish.Noneoftheotherfishmove.It’sasiftheyhadn’tnoticedwhatjusthappened.Thedivershovesthedeadfishintoapouchandtakesaim again.
diver
AFishOut
ofItsWaters
Whywouldadiverkillalionfish?Diverstakeonthistaskbecauselionfisharenotanaturalpartoftheenvironmenthere.Theydon’tbelongoffthecoastsoftheAtlanticOceanandintheCaribbeanSea.Instead,theyareaninvasivespecies.Theirpresenceherehurtslocalfishpopulations.It’salsoaseriousthreattothereef itself.
LionfisharenativetotheSouthPacificandIndianoceans.There,theyliveinbalancewithotherlivingthings.Lionfishpopulationsarekeptincheckbybirdsandfishthateattheireggsaswellaslargerpredatorsthateatthem.ButintheAtlanticOcean,theyhavenonaturalpredators.Thereisnothingtokeepthelionfishpopulationin check.
GettingaFin‑hold
So...howdidtheselionfishgetintheAtlanticOceaninthefirstplace?Goodquestion!It'sabitofa mystery.
Therearesomeinterestingtheories.TheyarrivedheretrappedintheballasttankofPacificcargoships.AbreedingpairescapedfromanaquariumduringHurricaneAndrew.Ahotelmishandledthefiltrationsystemonitslobbyaquariumandaccidentallypumpedlionfishoutto sea.
Probablynoneofthesearetrue.It’slikelythattoomanytropicalfishownersonthesoutheastcoastofFloridadecidedtoputtheirpetsouttoseaoncethelionfishgottoobigfortheir aquariums.
ThefirstverifiedreportoflionfishintheAtlanticOceanwasin1985,whenafewweredetectedoffthecoastofDaniaBeachinFlorida.GeneticanalysisshowsthateverysinglelionfishintheAtlanticOceancamefromfewerthan10originalfemales.Since2000,thepopulationhasexploded.That’sabig problem.
