Lionfish: beautiful creature has ugly impact

They are graceful and colorful, yet a huge menace to our local waters.

The lionfish has been a problem for years, and it's getting worse. That's why boaters that like spearfishing have just been given a new addition to the sport in Florida. A new state law that went into effect Aug. 1 now allows lionfish to be removed via spearfishing when diving with a rebreather.

A rebreather is a device that recycles air and allows divers to remain in the water for longer periods of time. The new rule will also allow participants of approved tournaments and other organized events to spear lionfish or other invasive species in areas where spearfishing is not currently allowed such as certain state parks or refuges.

Lionfish can be speared, caught in hand-held nets or caught on hook and lin,e and there is no recreational or commercial bag limit. The third portion of the new law prohibits the importation of live lionfish.

"Florida is the only state to have such a ban at this time," said Amanda Nalley, public information specialist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "I don't know of any other state that is doing this."

Nalley said the new rules are not aimed at getting rid of all the lionfish because that would be impossible. Instead, the goal is to contain them and limit the population.

"Eradication is not on the table at this point, because the population numbers are too strong. It's really about trying to control the population that is already here," Nalley said. "The chances of eradicating the species as a whole is pretty slim so we don't try to think of eradication. We think of control. It would be great to eradicate them, but we need to think of how to control them and keep them from impacting our native habitat."

Lionfish were introduced into Florida waters in the late 1980s and have boomed in recent years, affecting native wildlife and habitat. Scientists believe the first ones came from people who released them from private aquariums.

Since the mid-2000s, lionfish reports have increased. As of 2010, they have even begun to show up in areas where lionfish previously were not found such as along the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists believe they followed currents up the Atlantic Coast, around to the Bahamas and then into the Gulf. Lionfish have been found in shallow waters and in depths up to 1,000 feet and in temperatures as cold as 48 to 50 degrees.

Lionfish are mostly red, brown and white with a striped zebra-like pattern. Adults are 12-15 inches in length. These predatory reef fish eat native fish, which can reduce native populations and have negative effects on the overall reef habitat and health. Some of the native fish killed off by lionfish serve important ecological roles such as keeping algae in check on reefs. Lionfish also compete for food with native fish such as grouper and snapper.

These fish grow and reproduce quickly. The female can produce up to 15,000 eggs every four days in warmer climates. They can also live for decades.

The FWC warns people to be cautious when capturing lionfish. They have 18 venomous spines that are used as a defense against predators. These spines can cause painful injuries.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has a tank in its Discovery Center showcasing a lionfish and informing guests about the harm it does to the local marine environment.

"Essentially we were able to choose just a few items to highlight about threats to our ocean, and exotics are threats that we want to raise awareness about," said David Webb, director of education. "Our mission here is to educate people on how to protect our environment. If they don't want to keep their pet we want them to know how to get rid of it without dumping it.

"Lionfish could potentially impact sportfishing and recreational fishing and the health of our coral reef. They are suctoral feeders they literally just sit there and wait for something to swim past them and when something swims past they open their mouth and they suck everything that is in front of them inside. They are really effective in eating fish almost as big as they are,"

The lionfish on display at the Conservancy was captured from a reef in the Florida Keys.

Report a lionfish sighting by downloading the new Report Florida Lionfish app on a smart device or by visiting MyFWC.com/Fishing and clicking on "Recreational Regulations" (under "Saltwater") and then "Lionfish."

To learn more about lionfish, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on "Saltwater," "Recreational Regulations" and "Lionfish."