[Coral-List] Lion fish question
BRUCE CARLSON
exallias2 at gmail.com
Wed Apr 17 17:04:25 EDT 2013
Steve,
I know there are a number of papers dealing with the issue you have raised, but here are two that I have handy that shed light on this topic:
Grubich, J.R. et al. 2009. Diversity of lionfishes (Pisces: Scorpaenidae) among remote coral reefs of the Palau Archipelago. Coral Reefs 28:807
This brief paper gives an indication of the magnitude of difference in the numbers of Pterois species per hectare on a Pacific reef versus Western Atlantic areas.
and:
Green, Stephanie J., et al. 2012. Invasive lionfish drive Atlantic coral reef fish declines. PLoS ONE 7(3): e32596. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032596
This paper provides documentation on how West Atlantic reef fish populations have been affected by Pterois predation.
Hope this helps with your question.
Bruce
On Apr 17, 2013, at 8:15 AM, Steve Mussman <sealab at earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> This story is among many that has appeared recently in the main stream
> media. It compares the impact
> of lion fish to "a living oil spill".
> http://www.npr.org/2013/04/17/177359109/lionfish-attack-the-gulf-of-mexico-l
> ike-a-living-oil-spill
> My question is what scientific evidence is there that reduced fish
> populations and / or reef decline
> is directly related to the lion fish invasion?
> Is it possible that lion fish are in fact becoming a convenient scapegoat?
> I realize that they are likely contributing to the problem, but are we
> overlooking other more prominent factors?
> Natural predatory behavior seems to be developing as some reef species are
> learning to feed on lion fish.
> As far as I know reef fish are still abundant on the Pacific reefs where
> lion fish are indigenous even though
> they have few known predators in their natural surroundings.
> I just returned from a Caribbean destination where it appeared obvious based
> on my personal baseline that
> the reefs are in decline. There were many lion fish spotted and speared, but
> do we really know if the impact
> of this invasive species is as profound as many are asserting?
> Regards,
> Steve
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BRUCE CARLSON
exallias2 at gmail.com
BCarlson at GeorgiaAquarium.org
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