Lionfish first appeared in the northern Gulf of Mexico in 2010. At that time, it was a huge concern – and still is – but it got the public’s attention. Fishermen were concerned that lionfish would deplete targeted species they enjoyed catching and made money from. The number of lionfish divers were encountering was staggering and videos showed reefs that were basically covered with them, and few other species around.
The Invasive Lionfish
The community reacted by initiating a few local tournaments with awards and prizes and there was a push to harvest them commercially as a food product – lionfish are very good to eat. In 2013 the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Florida Sea Grant held its first regional workshop to discuss the state of the lionfish invasion in our area and how management efforts were going. It was reported at the time that lionfish densities off the Pensacola area were among the highest in the South Atlantic region. They seemed to have a preference for artificial reefs over natural ones and there were studies suggesting how frequently lionfish removal efforts were needed in order to decrease their population. Studies showed that on reefs where lionfish were abundant, red snapper stayed farther away and further up in the water column. There were several talks on the general biology of the creature – which was still unknown to much of the public.
The Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day Event in 2017. Photo: Rick O’Connor
In 2019 the 2nd regional workshop occurred. The densities of lionfish had declined – possibly due to the commercial and recreational harvest efforts as well as the lionfish tournaments that were occurring. It was at this time that divers began to notice skin lesions on some of the fish and there were questions as to what was causing this and whether it had an impact on their populations. The commercial harvesting had not gone as well as expected primarily due to pricing issues, but education/outreach efforts had made a big impact – almost everyone knew about lionfish and the problems they were causing. Some on the commercial harvest side of the issue had turned to taking visiting divers out to hunt lionfish. For many this was a more lucrative venture than harvest and selling. But people still wanted to eat lionfish and finding local places that served was not easy.
Skin ulcers have been found on many lionfish in the region. Photo: Alex Fogg
The 3rd Regional Lionfish Workshop was scheduled for 2024 and occurred in February in Ft. Walton Beach. 52 attended to hear presentations on the latest research, commercial harvest, tournaments, and education/outreach efforts. Here are some highlights from those presentations.
Research Updates
The high densities in 2013 had declined by 2019 but there was no update on current densities of lionfish. Anecdotal evidence from divers suggested that they may be increasing again.
The source of the skin lesions was still unknown, but some evidence suggested that it could have contributed to the decline of lionfish between 2013-2019. The lesions are still occurring in lionfish.
eDNA studies by the University of West Florida found lionfish eDNA in samples collected from the upper portions of local estuaries – suggesting they may have entered the bay. The research team also found lionfish eDNA in the feces of some shorebirds nesting in the area. This triggered more questions than answers.
PCB monitoring in fish tissue obtained from the USS Oriskany as part of the artificial reef permit. The initial target species for this study have declined on the wreck – or at least at not as frequently harvested as the study required. However, lionfish have increased on the reef and are now being used to continue this monitoring project.
Commercial Harvest Updates
Florida Sea Grant presented results of a regional survey of seafood buyers and restaurants. Few were selling lionfish. Concerns included size and yield from processing, adequate supply, and the fact they were venomous. However, almost all of them were interested in selling lionfish and were willing to learn how to navigate these barriers to make it happen.
Tournament Updates
The FWC Lionfish Challenge is still going strong, and they plan to continue to support it.
The Emerald Coast Open is still the largest lionfish tournament in the country. This year they harvested over 18,000 lionfish.
Overall, across the region and state, lionfish tournaments were on the decline.
International tournaments reported mixed results – some doing well, some not so well. Those doing well were doing very well.
A new tournament was kicking off in Pensacola during the fall season – the Pensacola Lionfish Shootout.
Education and Outreach Updates
Citizen science programs are increasing.
Many school programs have included lionfish topics within their lesson plans.
Some questions remain unanswered currently.
Have the densities of lionfish increased or decreased since 2019?
What is the cause of the skin lesions found on some lionfish?
Are lionfish inhabiting parts of our estuaries?
Can we get lionfish on more menus in the region?
The next regional workshop is scheduled for 2029. Until then, many will be involved in trying to answer these questions and manage this problem. If you have any questions concerning the current state of lionfish in our area, please contact your county extension office.
When the red lionfish (Pterois volitans) first began to appear along the shores of the Florida panhandle there was a great effort to make locals aware of the potential problem. Today it is rare to find people who do not know what a lionfish is. I was recently working with a group of elementary school students in the beach classroom at the school districts environmental center. There was a tank with a lionfish in it and as I approached, they all yelled out – “that’s a lionfish”. They were all aware of this invasive species.
Red Lionfish
Photo: Florida Sea Grant
The first record of lionfish in the northern Gulf of Mexico was logged in 2010 – though a presentation at our recent panhandle lionfish workshop suggested it may have been here as early as 2008. There was immediate concern from the fishing and diving community. We began to hold workshops and local non-profits formed to begin removal tournaments. The word on the aggressive spread, fast reproductive rate, and lack of predators sent an alarm across the region.
In 2013 we held our 1st panhandle regional lionfish workshop. Researchers indicated that the densities of lionfish off our shores were the highest in the south Atlantic region – a presentation at the recent workshop indicated, at that time, the density of lionfish here may have been the highest in the world. It was not uncommon to see videos of small artificial reefs with 100 or more lionfish hanging about. It was reported that they were opportunistic feeders and had identified no fewer than 70 species of small reef fishes in their guts. The reproductive rates were an average of 30,000 fertilized eggs every four days – basically year-round. Their eggs drifted in a gelatinous sac and the spread of the fish followed the ocean currents, spreading everywhere.
War was declared.
Lionfish tournaments began to pop everywhere. They began with a few hundred or a thousand lionfish turned into events where tens of thousands of lionfish were weighed during three-day events. Lionfish education and outreach expanded across the state. Some engaged in the commercial harvest of these fish. Turned out they were quite tasty. Knowing Pensacola was sort of ground zero for lionfish density – I was contacted by chefs from around the region seeking fillets.
At the 2019 workshop researchers reported that the densities had declined in waters less than 200 feet. Everyone pointed at the recreational and commercial harvest as a possible cause, but something was obviously working. Lionfish were beginning to develop skin lesions. Scientists were not sure of the cause, and not sure whether this played a role in the density declines, but it was happening. Harvesters reported problems on the commercial side. Dive time and location were becoming problems, densities were declining – less fish to harvest, and the price point between the harvesters and the seafood industry were not where either side wanted them. One thing that seemed to be working was ecotourism. Word about huge numbers of lionfish was drawing visiting divers from all over. Dive charters were finding they could make more money but taking visitors out to shoot lionfish, than selling them to the commercial markets. There was also a supply issue. One restaurant from Charleston South Carolina contacted me asking for a source of lionfish. He said he needed about 500 pounds a week. This order would be very difficult to fill. But things from the invasive side, at least in waters less than 200 feet, seemed to be improving.
We just held the 3rd regional workshop in 2024. Researchers indicated that the densities were still down. Anecdotal reports suggest an increase in lionfish. It was thought that the pandemic reduced tournaments and commercial harvest and populations of lionfish were on the rise again. This may very well may be, but science did not show this. More studies were needed. Skin lesions are still occurring, but researchers are still not sure what is causing it. There does seem to be a link between the decline in density and the frequency of these lesions – the researchers believe that these lesions are playing at least a part in controlling their population.
One researcher reported evidence of lionfish in our estuaries. Using eDNA methods she was able to identify lionfish DNA in the upper portions of Escambia, Blackwater, Perdido, and Mobile Bays. The monitoring was done during low tide to reduce the chance of tides moving the eDNA up into the bay. She also found evidence of lionfish DNA in the feces of shorebirds nesting on our barrier islands. They are still working out how this is happening, possibly the birds are feeding on newly hatched lionfish from the drifting egg mass – not sure. But it is very interesting.
The commercial harvest is doing okay in some parts of the panhandle, but not in others. Interviewing restaurants and seafood markets we found several barriers keeping some of these businesses from providing lionfish. First was the size of the fish and percent yield of fillet. Lionfish are small and labor intensive to prepare. A second concern was the venomous spines. There were also concerns about supply and price points. However, all the seafood markets and restaurants we spoke with were interested in selling lionfish if we could overcome these barriers and were very open to the idea of education/meetings on how to do so. Florida Sea Grant does plan to begin these meetings this year.
The tournaments continue to do well. Destin’s Emerald Coast Classic is now the largest lionfish tournament in the world. Interest and participation continue to be strong. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Lionfish Challenge is also doing well, though they reported a decline in the number of commercial harvesters participating.
So as of now
Lionfish remain in the Gulf of Mexico
Densities are still low
Lesions are still occurring
Commercial harvest has not gone as well as hoped
Tournaments are doing well
Lionfish appear to be moving into the estuaries
We will see what updates the 2029 workshop will add to the story.
There are more invasive plants issues in Escambia County than animal ones; but we do have animal invasives. Some have been with us for some time, like the feral hogs which will be posted in a different article, some are more recent. In this article we are going to focus on two species that could become real problems for us without some management plan – the lionfish and the Cuban treefrog.
The Invasive Lionfish
The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) has been in the local news for some time – but as a Gulf of Mexico problem. The fish is from the Indo-Pacific region of the world and was brough here for the pet trade. The first records we have of it in the wild were in southeast Florida in the 1980s. We are not 100% sure how they reached the Atlantic Ocean, but they did – and they did well.
Lionfish display a courtship dance where, near sunset, the males and females rise off the reef in a rotating swimming pattern and then fertilize their eggs. On average, each female will fertilize 30,000 eggs every four days! These fertilized eggs are encased in a gelatinous sac that drifts with the currents and is a method of spreading the species across the region. Originating in southeast Florida, the Gulf Stream dispersed them north along the coasts of Georgia and the Carolina’s. From here the invasion moved east to Bermuda where the Atlantic currents cycled them back south to the Caribbean, here they invaded every reef system in the region. From the Caribbean they found there way to the Florida Keys and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico. The first record in Escambia County was in 2010. It has been described as one of the most prolific, and successful, invasions of a non-native species ever.
Studies show that the invasion in the Pensacola area was particularly bad. One study showed that the densities in our area were some of the highest in the south Atlantic region. Another study showed they had preference for artificial over natural reefs. In response, the Escambia County Division of Marine Resources, partnering with Florida Sea Grant, developed a series of local workshops to educate the public about the issue.
From these meetings nonprofits formed that began to have “rodeos” and “roundups” providing prizes to divers who could remove the most, the largest, and even the smallest lionfish. Eventually the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) joined in and created the Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day (LRAD). This event, which began in Pensacola, attracted thousands of curious people, chefs cooking samples, and divers from across the region. These efforts, along with an increase in commercial harvest (the fish is edible) have made a significant impact on populations in waters less than 200 feet (where divers can safely work) – but lionfish can live as deep as 1000 feet.
In 2019 a gentlemen fishing on the pier at Ft. Pickens caught one on hook and line. Charter captains have been catching them on hook and line for a few years but it was not common and usually in low numbers. Over the nine years since the first record, there had also been three records within Big Lagoon, so – finding one inside of the pass was not new, but concerning. Partnering with the Ocean Strike Team, Sea Grant conducted a series of survey dives to assess the status of lionfish near the pier and jetties of Ft. Pickens. They found them – though in small numbers, lionfish were present.
The question now is how far within the bay has this invasion spread. The concern is two things.
Lionfish are gregarious feeders – eating just about anything they can get into their mouths. Offshore they are known to eat no fewer than 70 species of small reef fish, including the commercially important vermilion snapper, and several invertebrates, including shovel nosed lobsters. If they invade the bay, we are now looking at juvenile shrimp, blue crabs, flounder, redfish, and more. The impact could be very big.
They are venomous. Not by bite, but by spines. Though it has not killed anyone, the “sting” of a lionfish is extremely painful and placed some in the hospital. With numerous locals and visitors swimming in our estuarine waters, encounters with this fish will occur, and problems with envenomation will follow.
The response needed from the county is to develop a management plan for this fish in our bay. Studies show that the most effective, and least costly, methods occur at the early stages of the invasion – Early Detection Rapid Response. There are several agencies, including Florida Sea Grant, ready to assist with this.
Cuban Treefrog
Photo: UF IFAS
As the name implies, the Cuban treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) is from Cuba – though it is native the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands as well. Records show they arrived in the Florida Keys in the 1920s – most likely “hitchhiking” on boats crossing the Florida straits.
This is a large treefrog, can reach six inches – compared to the two inches of our native frogs, and quickly moved in consuming local wildlife. As with many invasive species, their numbers increased quickly, and they became common across the landscape. In most locations where Cuban treefrogs were present, NO native frogs could be found. Studies show that in pools where Cuban treefrog tadpoles exist, no native tadpoles survive. Native frog populations began to decline. This is a large treefrog, not only do they consume native frogs, but they also consume small lizards, snakes, and all sorts of insects.
But the problem goes beyond native ecology. These treefrogs love to be around humans. Residents complain of the numbers of these large frogs on their doors and windows in the evening. They defecate making a large mess and the calls of the males sounds like a squeaky screen door keeping folks up at night – especially when they are abundant and there are no other frogs in the neighborhood. They are known to enter vent pipes in the plumbing, sometimes clogging these pipes, often appearing in your commode when you lift the lid to use the restroom. People do not like them. They are also known to hideout in electric panels and often short circuit home electrical and HVAC systems. Some of these problems become costly to the property owners.
The Cuban treefrogs have dispersed out of south Florida. They are now established as far north as Gainesville, Jacksonville, and Cedar Key. But records in the Florida panhandle, including Escambia County, are increasing.
Our part of the state was once immune to invasions of tropical species such as this frog. Our winters were cold enough to eradicate the few that made it here. We think the most frequent method of invasion is by hitchhiking – just as they originally did. Many of the landscaping plants we purchase for our homes and neighborhoods are grown at large nurseries in south Florida. These plants are loaded onto trucks and brought here – bringing Cuban treefrogs, Brown anoles, and many other small frogs and lizards that can be a problem for us. It appears that our winters are becoming milder, and these invaders are now surviving. Dr. Steve Johnson (University of Florida) has verified a breeding colony of Cuban treefrogs in Bay County. Records and calls from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are increasing. We do not know whether these populations are breeding – but the concern is there.
Florida Sea Grant plans to develop a citizen science monitoring project in the spring of 2023 to assess the status of these frogs in our county. As with the lionfish, early detection – rapid response is the key to managing them.
If you are interested in participating in either the bay lionfish surveys, or the Cuban treefrogs surveys in Escambia County, contact Rick O’Connor at the Escambia County Extension Office.
The northwest Florida area has been identified as having the highest concentration of invasive lionfish in the world. Lionfish pose a significant threat to our native wildlife and habitat with spearfishing the primary means of control. Lionfish tournaments are one way to increase harvest of these invaders and help keep populations down. Not only that, but lionfish are a delicious tasting fish and tournaments help supply the local seafood markets with this unique offering.
Since 2019, Destin, Florida has been the site of the Emerald Coast Open (ECO), the largest lionfish tournament in the world. While the tournament was canceled in 2020, due to the pandemic, the 2021 tournament and the Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day festival returned to the Destin Harbor and led to the removal of over 10,000 invasive lionfish.
This weekend, May 14 and 15, 2022, the tournament and festival will be in back in full force at HarborWalk Village in Destin Harbor. A record number of teams will be on the water competing for cash prizes and other loot. Florida Sea Grant will be on hand to support the two-day festival that will include lionfish tasting and fillet demonstrations, conservation and art booths, interactive kids zone, shopping, and lionfish viewing! Bring your family and friends out to support this unique event and do your part to help fight invasive lionfish.
For more information on the tournament, visit EmeraldCoastOpen.com or Facebook.com/EmeraldCoastOpen.
For information about Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day, visit FWCReefRangers.com
Define Invasive Species: must have all of the following –
Is non-native to the area, in our case northwest Florida
Introduced by humans, whether intentional or accidental
Causing either an environmental or economic problem, possibly both
Define “Dirty Dozen” Species:
These are species that are well established within the CISMA and are considered, by members of the CISMA, to be one of the top 12 worst problems in our area.
Native Range:
The Indo-Pacific and Red Sea.
Introduction:
The first record of lionfish in U.S. waters was in the late 1980s off the coast of Davie, Florida. It is believed the release was connected to the aquarium trade but whether it was accidental or intentional is unknown.
EDDMapS currently list 3,029 records of lionfish in the U.S. This is certainly under reported. Few invasive marine fish are reported to EDDMapS. Most are reported to a NOAA website which reports area of lionfish rather than individual records. It is known that the lionfish is well established all along the eastern seaboard of the United States, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and the entire Gulf of Mexico – including the coastal areas of Six Rivers CISMA. In 2014, it was reported that the densities of lionfish off the Six Rivers CISMA were some of the highest in the entire south Atlantic Region1. At a regional workshop in 2018, it was reported these densities had declined in waters less than 200 feet2.
Description:
Lionfish are deep bodied fish with large dorsal and pectoral fins and a truncate caudal fin. It is a slow swimmer. The body has a white/maroon vertically striped pattern that includes the head. The dorsal spines extend above tissue of the dorsal fin and possess a neurotoxin that is quite painful. The enlarged pectoral fins resemble wings and are used by the fish to corral prey into corners. There are no venomous spines on the pectoral fins but there are on the pelvic and anal ones. Lionfish have a large gaping mouth that can swallow a variety of prey using an engulfing/vacuum method.
Issues and Impacts:
These are voracious predators and have been known to consume over 70 different species of small demersal reef fishes. These small fish play an important ecological role on the reefs they inhabit, such as prey for larger commercially sought-after fish species as well as those that graze algae and keep the corals from being smothered by such. The decline of these populations can have both ecological and economic impacts. Studies have found that the popular red snapper will stay further away from reefs inhabited by lionfish, and they are also known to inhabit lobster traps in the Florida Keys, impeding the entry of the much sought-after spiny lobster.
Management:
The high reproductive rate has made lionfish management difficult. Adult females are known to produce an average of 30,000 fertilized every four days. The fertilized eggs are encased in a gelatinous sac that drifts with the currents and disperses the young to new territories. There are toxins associated with this sac and consumption of larvae is not currently known. In addition to high reproductive rates, the currents disperse the developing young great distances and lionfish are known to tolerate salinities found in estuaries.
They rarely bite hook and line making the most effective of removal being the diver with a pole spear. There are very good lionfish hunters, and prize-winning tournaments are well attended, but studies have shown that removals using spear must be repeated about once a month to be effective. Effective here meaning keeping the population stable, lionfish is a “Dirty Dozen” species, it will not be eradicated.
Test using traps are currently being conducted and these may prove to be more effective than removing by spear alone. There are a few native species that have been known to consume lionfish, but not at a rate to impact their invasion. Since 2018 lionfish in the south Atlantic region have been reported with skin lesions. It is not known at this time how this will impact their numbers, but early studies suggest it is.
For more information on this Dirty Dozen species, contact your local extension office.
References
Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS)
