The venomous Red Lionfish is invading the waters of the Caribbean and is starting to overpopulate the region after being accidentally introduce almost 30 years ago, a new study has shown.
The fish, also known as "ghost fish of the coral reefs" since it can turn invisible to its prey, is taking over the Caribbean Basin due to its great skill for hunting.
"Lionfish were able to sneak up on their prey and capture every single one, while other predators had much lower feeding success," Professor Mark McCormick from the James Cook University said.
The study "Ultimate Predators: Lionfish have evolved to circumvent prey risk assessment abilities" points the lack of a natural predator or parasite could help explain the colonizing success of the fish.
James Morris, an ecologist for the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, said that the lionfish has brought a big change in biodiversity and has become the most abundant top-level predator on some coral reefs in the Atlantic announcing a long term environmental disaster.
Using DNA tracing technology, scientists have concluded the fishes likely got to the Atlantic because humans that had them as a pets, dumped some into the ocean off the coast of Florida.
"The fish can reproduce exponentially," said James. "One female lionfish can produce 30,000 to 40,000 eggs every few day and can start the process of fertilization after only 12 months of life."
The lionfish has inundate waters of the Amazon, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and North Carolina's coastline so far.
One solution suggests eating them could be a good start. According to locals, the fish is considered a delicacy high in omega-3 and low in heavy metals.
© 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
