Not only are commercially and recre- ationally important species being preyed upon, but they are also being indirectly harmed as their food supplies are gobbled up by hungry lionfish. Other victims of lionfish gluttony perform valuable ecological services. For example, parrotfish help groom algae from living corals. Without the parrotfish, the corals will suffer and so will the entire reef community. Even- tually, the lionfish may eat themselves out of house and home, but not before destroying fisheries and habitats that have billions in economic value and immeasurable ecological worth. For the past decade, private groups like the Key Largo-based Reef Environ- mental Education Foundation (REEF) have led efforts to monitor and hope- fully stall the epidemic spread of lion- fish. Once the extent of the infestation became evident, other non-profits and government resource-manage- ment agencies joined in the efforts. Recently, a joint study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis- tration (NOAA) and North Carolina State University revealed that 27 per-
cent of adult lionfish must be removed each year to keep the population growth rate at zero. So, what’s the plan of attack?
EAT TO BEAT THE ENEMY As I drifted downward through the
blue-green water to the seafloor 120 feet below, I wondered why I was left holding the bag — literally. Greg McFall, deputy superintendent of Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary, and I were on a mission to survey a small patch reef east of the sanctuary for lionfish and to remove as many as possible during our 20-minute dive. Equipped with a pair of puncture-proof gloves and a heavy plastic bag of the type typ- ically used to keep supplies dry during water-borne excursions, my job was to carry the lionfish that succumbed to McFall’s pole spear. Within moments of our arrival, McFall had stuck the first lionfish. In a carefully rehearsed process, I trans- ferred it into the bag. McFall, a veteran of several previous lionfish safaris, assured me our victim would become
TIDE
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