s our boat bobs gently in the clear turquoise waters off the Bahamian island of Great Exuma, I make a few last-minute ad- justments to my mask and snorkel. In a mo- ment, I will join marine biologist


Mark Hixon on an underwater expedition to capture a lionfish—so named because its fins resemble a lion’s mane. Before we jump overboard, Hixon


reminds me, “If we see one, keep your distance. These babies pack a wallop. A jab from their spines could send you to hospital. And the nearest one is a plane ride away.” Then he smiles. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”


I’ve come to the Bahamas to spend time with Hixon as he investigates what he says may become “the most devas- tating ocean invasion ever”. He and other researchers are looking for ways to stop the spectacular population growth of red lionfish, a non-native species now eating its way through the Caribbean and up the Atlantic coast. Hixon has seen one lionfish eat more


than 20 small fish in 30 minutes. Some Caribbean fishermen are reporting that their catch of grouper and snapper has been affected. Worst of all, Hixon tells me that lionfish are devouring the grazing species that prevent seaweed from choking the reefs, making many scientists fear for the whole ecosystem. “ ‘Explosive’ is a good word to describe the lionfish’s advance,” he says.


Ten years ago, sightings of lionfish


in Atlantic waters were rare. These maroon-striped beauties that hide an arsenal of venomous, needle-sharp spines among their feathery, translucent fins are native to the Pacific and Indian oceans, some 10,000 miles away. “Suddenly,” says Hixon over a beer at the Perry Institute for Marine Science on Lee Stocking Island near Great Exuma, “they were being spotted in the Atlantic. It was like seeing a polar bear in Hawaii.” They didn’t swim there, he adds, and


there’s no evidence they arrived in ships’ ballast waters. “So how did they get here?” I ask. Hixon smiles, sips his beer, and tells me a story that begins in southern Florida in 1992 with the onslaught of Hurricane Andrew. Amer- ica’s third most powerful storm of the 20th century roared ashore in late August with winds of up to 170mph. It wiped out thousands of homes—and some aquariums. “There were unconfirmed reports


that it smashed one private aquarium that was home to perhaps six or seven lionfish,” explains Hixon. “These were released into Biscayne Bay and began doing what invasive species often do best: eat and reproduce.” Nobody can prove this really hap- pened, and other scientists think that the original lionfish were probably released voluntarily by their owners after they discovered these hungry pets would quickly eat every smaller fish in the aquarium. However they got to the Atlantic, though, the DNA evidence suggests that the invaders


july 2010 READER’S DIGEST . JULY ’10


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