FORT MYERS, Fl. — August 4, 2014 — If you want to see a perfect eating machine in action, you can hardly do better than watching a hungry lionfish. Since its introduction into the Atlantic off the Florida coast in the 1980's and 1990's, the fish has been on a disastrous feeding frenzy.
That feeding frenzy has lead the lionfish all the way from Florida to North Carolina to coastal Venezuela, Scientific American reports. They have even been sighted as far north as Rhode Island, but here, they can't survive in cold waters.
Now, Florida has instituted a first-of-its-kind ban that went into effect on August 1, even though this ban may be an example of too little, too late. Bringing this spiny, voracious agent of maritime destruction into Florida is now punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and a year in the slammer. Adopted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in June, the measure also calls for the following, per FloridaToday:
• Allowing the harvesting of these fish when divers use a rebreather, which recycles air and allows divers to remain in the water for a longer period.
• Allowing participants in approved tournaments and other such events to spear lionfish or other invasive species in areas where spearfishing is not allowed. This will be done under the auspices of a permitting system.
At least some of the lionfish were likely dumped from aquariums and their population has literally exploded. The fish has been declared a major threat throughout much of the coastal waters of the Atlantic from North Carolina to the Caribbean, Time.com reports.
Sadly, this ban will hardly put a dent in most of their populations, however.
A female lionfish can produce up to two million eggs in a year. Keeping up with this evolutionary assembly line would be difficult even for the most ardent divers. The invasion of these fish has been so all-pervasive in the Caribbean that their populations have reached densities never seen before in the Pacific of Southern Asia, where they are native, reports Inter Press Service.
Read the full story and watch the video from Digital Journal