Lionfish are some of the most invasive and deadliest creatures on the coral reef. With their delicate fins, they paralyze colorful reef fish before swallowing them whole. Now, though, it looks as if Jamaica is fighting back--by eating them.
Lionfish are actually native to the Pacific. They possess venom that can be delivered via their array of up to 18 needle-like dorsal fins, according to National Geographic. With their bright, colorful stripes, they can be popular in aquariums; and that's part of the problem. It's thought that lionfish were first introduced into the Caribbean when someone dumped aquarium water off of the coast of Florida (or maybe even intentionally released their fish). With no natural predators, this invasive species became a huge problem relatively quickly.
Four years ago, Jamaica started a national campaign to help cull lionfish. Now, it seems as if the effort is finally paying off. Jamaica's National Environment and Planning Agency has reported a 66 percent drop in lionfish sightings in coastal waters, according to the AP.
So why has there been such a big drop? It's partly due to efforts to educate fishermen about how to handle the fish and promoting lionfish cuisine. In addition, divers in the Caribbean and Florida are encouraged to capture the fish in order to protect marine wildlife, according to the AP. Restaurants are even advertising lionfish on the menu in order to promote these types of conservation efforts; and governments have sponsored fishing tournaments for catching lionfish.
"I don't think we'll ever get rid of it, but I think for the most part we can control it, especially in marine protected areas where people are going after it very intensively and consistently," said Dayne Buddo, a Jamaican marine ecologist, in an interview with the AP.
Want to do your part to cull lionfish? Then eat up!
