[Coral-List] Control of Lionfish (Nishan Perera)

[Nishan Perera]

With regard to lionfish ecology, in Sri Lanka they are more common on rocky
reefs rather than coral rich areas. And despite heavy collection for the
aquarium trade they (in particular *P. volitans*) are present in large
numbers so I doubt they can be physically eradicated from the Caribbean.
Juveniles are often found in estuaries so this may have something to do with
their distribution. Overall I see more lionfish here than anywhere else I
have been to in the Indo-Pacific. Sometimes in groups of 5-10 together as
compared to the occasional individuals elsewhere. And their distribution
seems correlated with sediment and freshwater input (just observation and
not based on stats). We see more lionfish on silty rocky reefs than on coral
reefs or offshore reefs with good visibility. Also more lionfish on the west
coast of SL where there are more rivers than on the east coast where there
is less freshwater input.
Cheers,

Nishan