Ever heard of a fish that’s wanted dead or alive? Well that is
apart from a juicy snapper.... We’re talking about the Lionfish, it’s
a creature indigenous to pacific waters that was released somewhere near Florida
into waters in which it has no natural predator. So the carnivorous fish has
just been devouring indigenous species as it spreads along the reefs in the
Caribbean and Central America. Now, the fish, remarked upon for its attractive
appearance has been spotted in Belize’s reef systems, and though it’s
quite a sight to behold, its arrival means very bad news for Belize’s
local fish populations. Reef watchers fear that the greedy Lionfish will decimate
juvenile fish stocks and thus deplete Belize’s fish population. Mito Paz
of the Green Reef organization in San Pedro told us what the concerns are.
Mito Paz, Green Reef
“They have reported two animals in Belizean waters; one in Turneffe
reported in December and just recently they have reported one at Glover’s,
a sighting in Glover’s. So that means that if there are two, there is 
probably more. We don’t know what is the status of the population in Belize
but we feel that they have come through larvae. You know the larvae has settled
in Belize. So if that is the case then probably there is going to be more. We
haven’t seen big populations but we know it is a big concern because if
the population grows then that could have a big impact on the native species
of Belize.
Because there are no natural predators for this species. In the Caribbean
they haven’t learnt to avoid this species so this fish, the Lionfish will
just eat all the small fish, any thing that is half the size of him. So this
fish could grow up to 30 centimeters to 45 centimeters so anything half or a
small fish will be gulped by this fish. So it will be eliminating, if population
is big it could wipe out all the juveniles, a big percent of the juveniles.
If you don’t have juveniles, you won’t have any adult fish.”
Scientists say that the Lionfish can cause the depletion of herbivorous
fish, which sets the stage for seaweed to run wild on the reefs. The only natural
predator for the Lionfish in Belize is the Nassau Grouper – which is endangered
in Belize.
Email
Print