[Coral-List] Lionfish after the hurricanes?

[McDonough, Vanessa]

Hi all,
At Biscayne National Park, we have noticed that after Hurricane Irma
passed, our lionfish are far fewer and much smaller than we were previously
observing.  The reef sites where we consistently observed high numbers of
lionfish now have very few (if any) lionfish.  Where we used to find fish
that averaged 35-40cm long, we are lucky to find fish that are 25cm in
length.  We have observed this across all depths and habitats in the park,
from about 20ft to 70ft depth.
I was just wondering if: a) anyone else has observed a similar trend and b)
if anyone has any insight as to where the lionfish may have gone.  Has
anyone had any deepwater observations to confirm if they retreated to
deeper waters?

Thanks,


Vanessa McDonough, Ph.D.
Fishery and Wildlife Biologist
Biscayne National Park
9700 SW 328th St
Homestead, FL 33033
ph: 305-230-1144 ext 027
fax: 305-230-1190