July 22, 2016 — Divers caught 1,250 lionfish on a single day off Fort Lauderdale during a July competition aimed at controlling these venomous predators from the Indian and Pacific oceans.
While the huge haul was a victory in the fight for Florida’s near-shore waters, most people are betting the lionfish will ultimately win the war. Scientists say these quick-breeding invaders have spread beyond any hope of control, and we’ll have to live with them as we’ve learned to live with other non-native creatures in South Florida, such as green iguanas, wild hogs and Africanized honeybees.
“We are definitely not thinking this is a species that will be eradicated,” said Amanda Nalley, spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “Our goal is to control the population, get people interested in it as a food fish.”