[Coral-List] Natural Predation and Lionfish

Szmant, Alina szmanta at uncw.edu
Mon Apr 21 11:35:03 EDT 2014


Looking at the data in this paper, it seems that even the sites with the largest amounts of predators (e.g. grouper biomass graph only went up to 5000 gm (50 x 100) which is an 11 lb fish...tiny by old day standards.  I don't think there is anywhere in the Caribbean where you can go and find the kinds of predator biomass that used to exist even in the 1960s let along pre-Columbus.


"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." Eleanor Roosevelt

"The time is always right to do what is right"  Martin Luther King

*************************************************************************
Dr. Alina M. Szmant
Professor of Marine Biology
AAUS Scientific Diving Lifetime Achievement Awardee
Center for Marine Science
University of North Carolina Wilmington
5600 Marvin Moss Ln
Wilmington NC 28409 USA
tel:  910-962-2362  fax: 910-962-2410  cell: 910-200-3913
http://people.uncw.edu/szmanta
*******************************************************

-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov [mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Lad Akins
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2014 7:01 AM
To: 'Steve Mussman'; coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Natural Predation and Lionfish

Hi Steve,

Have you seen the PLoS One paper by Hackerott et al and the more recent Peer J by Valdivia et all looking at lionfish populations in relation to predator populations?  

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0068259


https://peerj.com/articles/348/


Doesn't look like large predators will be the ones doing the control.  Many guess that other factors like parasites, competition, possible reproduction differences and/or predation on eggs/larvae help keep them in balance in the native range.  There are many pressures in a marine ecosystem and it is rare that control of anything is restricted to a single or few factors.  Checks and balances are more like a web than a single rope.

All the best,

Lad

**************************
Lad Akins
Director of Special Projects
REEF
P O Box 370246
98300 Overseas Hwy
Key Largo FL 33037
(305) 852-0030 w
(305) 942-7333 c
www.REEF.org
Lad at REEF.org


-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Steve Mussman
Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2014 4:18 AM
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: [Coral-List] Natural Predation and Lionfish


   The study mentioned in this article may be of interest to some.


 
[1]http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2014/04/16/Sharks,-grouper-learn-
   to-prey-on-lionfish/


   Makes me wonder at least what might happen if healthy populations of grouper
   and other potential lionfish predators were readily available.


   Steve

References

   1.
http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2014/04/16/Sharks,-grouper-learn-to-
prey-on-lionfish/
_______________________________________________
Coral-List mailing list
Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list

_______________________________________________
Coral-List mailing list
Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list




More information about the Coral-List mailing list