On the relationship between native grouper and invasive lionfish in the Caribbean

10.7287/peerj.preprints.45v1 ◽

2013 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Peter J Mumby ◽

Daniel R Brumbaugh ◽

Alastair R Harborne ◽

George Roff

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Observational Data ◽

Habitat Quality ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Predatory Fish ◽

Pterois Volitans ◽

Western Atlantic ◽

Invasive Lionfish ◽

The Caribbean ◽

The Relationship

The Indo-Pacific lionfish, Pterois volitans, has invaded most of the Tropical Western Atlantic in the last few years. The degree to which populations of this invasive species can be controlled by native predatory fish (mostly grouper), is controversial with conflicting reports. Here, we review the evidence of two recent papers and point out some of the difficulties in inferring predator-limitation purely from observational data. A negative relationship has been found between large-bodied grouper and lionfish during early colonisation though the degree to which this is caused by direct predation versus behavioural mechanisms is unclear. Evidence to the contrary from a recent study suffers confounding effects of habitat quality, fishing, and dispersal and therefore remains equivocal.

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Total mercury concentrations in invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) from the Atlantic coast of Florida

10.1101/2020.05.29.123117 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Eric G. Johnson ◽

Angelina Dichiera ◽

Danielle Goldberg ◽

MaryKate Swenarton ◽

James Gelsleichter

Keyword(s):

Total Mercury ◽

East Coast ◽

Trophic Position ◽

Atlantic Coast ◽

Marine Fishes ◽

Pterois Volitans ◽

Western Atlantic ◽

Significant Barrier ◽

Invasive Lionfish ◽

Mercury Bioaccumulation

ABSTRACTInvasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) pose a serious threat to marine ecosystems throughout the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The development of a fishery for lionfish has been proposed as a strategy for controlling populations; however, there is concern about consumption of this species by humans due to its high trophic position and potential for bioaccumulation of mercury. We analyzed total mercury (THg) in tissues of lionfish from two locations on the east coast of Florida. THg in lionfish increased with size and differed by location and sex. THg was highest in muscle tissue and was strongly positively correlated among tissues. THg in lionfish was lower than other commonly consumed marine fishes, and falls into Florida’s least restrictive advisory level. Consumption of lionfish poses a low risk and concerns over mercury bioaccumulation should not present a significant barrier to lionfish harvest.

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A critique of Mumby et al. 2011 “Grouper as a natural biocontrol of invasive lionfish”

10.7287/peerj.preprints.141 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

John F Bruno

Keyword(s):

Study Design ◽

Effect Size ◽

Biotic Resistance ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Sufficient Evidence ◽

The Bahamas ◽

Invasive Lionfish ◽

Natural Range ◽

The Caribbean

Mumby et al. (2011) tested the biotic resistance hypothesis by comparing the biomass of invasive lionfish (introduced from the Indo-Pacific) and native grouper (Serranidae) at 12 sites within and adjacent to the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, The Bahamas. They reported that mean lionfish biomass was slightly lower within the reserve, compared to adjacent fished sites, and that there was a negative relationship between the biomass of lionfish and grouper. However, their study has a number of limitations and does not constitute sufficient evidence of a level of biotic resistance that would be ecologically meaningful. For example, the study design is pseudoreplicated and the biomass of lionfish is extremely low relative to observed values across the Caribbean. Furthermore, the effect size (assuming that there is an effect of native grouper) is very small compared to the natural range of lionfish biomass. Given the problems with Mumby et al. (2011) and evidence from other studies (e.g., Hackerott et al. 2013) that the biomass of lionfish and grouper is unrelated, it seems clear that managers cannot rely on native grouper populations to control the lionfish invasion.

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Total mercury concentrations in invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) from the Atlantic coast of Florida

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0234534 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (9) ◽

pp. e0234534

Author(s):

Eric G. Johnson ◽

Angelina Dichiera ◽

Danielle Goldberg ◽

MaryKate Swenarton ◽

James Gelsleichter

Keyword(s):

Total Mercury ◽

East Coast ◽

Trophic Position ◽

Atlantic Coast ◽

Marine Fishes ◽

Pterois Volitans ◽

Western Atlantic ◽

Significant Barrier ◽

Invasive Lionfish ◽

Mercury Bioaccumulation

Invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) pose a serious threat to marine ecosystems throughout the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The development of a fishery for lionfish has been proposed as a strategy for controlling populations; however, there is concern about consumption of this species by humans due to its high trophic position and potential for bioaccumulation of mercury. We analyzed total mercury (THg) in tissues of lionfish from two locations on the east coast of Florida. THg in lionfish increased with size and differed by location and sex. THg was highest in muscle tissue and was strongly positively correlated among tissues. THg in lionfish was lower than other commonly consumed marine fishes, and falls into Florida’s least restrictive advisory level. Consumption of lionfish poses a low risk and concerns over mercury bioaccumulation should not present a significant barrier to lionfish harvest.

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Spatial variation in allometric growth of invasive lionfish has management implications

10.7287/peerj.preprints.27360 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez ◽

Sean Fitzgerald

Keyword(s):

Spatial Variation ◽

Regional Differences ◽

Growth Parameters ◽

Ex Situ ◽

Total Biomass ◽

Allometric Growth ◽

Management Implications ◽

Western Atlantic ◽

Invasive Lionfish ◽

The Caribbean

Lionfish (Pterois volitans / miles) are an invasive species in the Western Atlantic and the Caribbean. Improving management of invasive lionfish populations requires accurate total biomass estimates, which depend on accurate estimates of allometric growth. Sedentary species like lionfish often exhibit high levels of spatial variation in life history characteristics. We review 17 published length-weight relationships for lionfish taken throughout their invasive range and found substantial regional differences in allometric growth parameters. The spatial pattern we observed is consistent with findings from other studies focusing on genetics or age-at-length. We show that the use of ex situ parameters can result in up to a threefold under- or overestimation of total weight, but using parameters from nearby regions reduces this error. These findings can have major implications for management in terms of predicting effects on local ecosystems, evaluating the effectiveness of removal programs, or estimating biomass available for harvest.

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First record of the snapper-choking isopod Cymothoa excisa (Isopoda: Cymothoidae) parasitizing invasive lionfish Pterois volitans (Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae)

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315417001576 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 98 (8) ◽

pp. 2095-2097 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alfonso Aguilar-Perera ◽

Luis Quijano-Puerto ◽

Evelyn Carrillo-Flota ◽

Ernest H. Williams ◽

Lucy Bunkley-Williams

Keyword(s):

Coral Reefs ◽

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Body Length ◽

Buccal Cavity ◽

First Record ◽

Pterois Volitans ◽

Western Atlantic ◽

Total Length ◽

Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Invasive Lionfish

Two female snapper-choking isopods Cymothoa excisa (body length 11 and 14 mm) were in the buccal cavity of two invasive lionfish Pterois volitans (total length 294 and 301 mm) collected in Alacranes Reef, southern Gulf of Mexico. This is the first record of C. excisa parasitizing invasive lionfish P. volitans in coral reefs of the Western Atlantic, where these isopods appear to have infected the host through adult prey-predator transfer.

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A critique of Mumby et al. 2011 “Grouper as a natural biocontrol of invasive lionfish”

10.7287/peerj.preprints.141v1 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

John F Bruno

Keyword(s):

Study Design ◽

Effect Size ◽

Biotic Resistance ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Sufficient Evidence ◽

The Bahamas ◽

Invasive Lionfish ◽

Natural Range ◽

The Caribbean

Mumby et al. (2011) tested the biotic resistance hypothesis by comparing the biomass of invasive lionfish (introduced from the Indo-Pacific) and native grouper (Serranidae) at 12 sites within and adjacent to the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, The Bahamas. They reported that mean lionfish biomass was slightly lower within the reserve, compared to adjacent fished sites, and that there was a negative relationship between the biomass of lionfish and grouper. However, their study has a number of limitations and does not constitute sufficient evidence of a level of biotic resistance that would be ecologically meaningful. For example, the study design is pseudoreplicated and the biomass of lionfish is extremely low relative to observed values across the Caribbean. Furthermore, the effect size (assuming that there is an effect of native grouper) is very small compared to the natural range of lionfish biomass. Given the problems with Mumby et al. (2011) and evidence from other studies (e.g., Hackerott et al. 2013) that the biomass of lionfish and grouper is unrelated, it seems clear that managers cannot rely on native grouper populations to control the lionfish invasion.

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