By Cindy Leacox of CL-Wanderings.com

The fast reproducing lionfish are beautiful to look at in their native environment with natural predators in Indonesia and Asia where their population is naturally controlled.  This is not the case along the East Coast of the Americas where they are an invasive species. 

“Negative characteristics of invasive species include to potential extinctions of native plants and animals, reducing biodiversity, competing with native organisms for limited resources, and altering habitats...Recent estimates suggest that the cost of invasive species to the U.S. economy is $137 billion annually” according to a ReefCI education presentation by Willie Zalidivar Caal, ReefCI Marine Biologist.

The list below sites reasons why lionfish are a major challenge as an invasive species: 

• Often reach sexual maturity by 1-2 years

• Appear to reproduce year around In Belize, based on ReefCI observations

• One male services as many as 8 females 

• Females release clusters of about 15,000 mucus coated egg clusters about every 4-5 days or about 2 million eggs per year; the mucus is a natural repellant which dissuades egg consumption by other marine animals

• Egg clusters float on the surface easily spreading populations

• Larvae hatch in about 4 days and grow into adults by 40 days

• Larval stage lionfish can already devour small sea life

• Adult lionfish have been known to survive at great depths, up to 570 feet, making predation and lionfish hunting difficult, if not impossible

• Lionfish can expand their stomach up to 30 times its normal volume and consumer up to 6% of their body weight each day; 

• Not picky eaters; research has revealed more than 70 marine life species in the stomachs of lionfish 

• Lionfish have lightning-quick reflexes that enables swallowing prey whole

• No or few natural predators in the Gulf and Atlantic