As part of REEF's continuing work on non-native species, particulary the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish, a multi-agency technical workshop was hosted by REEF, NOAA and the USGS to develop early detection and rapid response plans for Southeast Florida. Over 20 different state, federal and organizational offices were represented at the 2-day workshop, which was held June 18th and 19th in Marathon, Florida.
In response to the growing threat of lionfish in the Atlantic and the need for coordinated planning, REEF, NOAA and the USGS are hosting a technical workshop on Non-native Marine Fish Introductions of South Florida in the Florida Keys June 18 and 19. The workshop, jointly funded through a recent Mote Marine Laboratory’s Protect Our Reefs grant, NOAA’s Exotic Species and National Marine Sanctuary Programs and the Gulf and Atlantic States Regional Panel on Aquatic Invasive Species,will bring together personnel from more than 18 different agencies and organizations.
Text by Erin Spencer, Photos courtesy of Lad Akins
A recent study published in Ecology and Evolution offers a new approach to traditional mark and recapture studies while providing valuable insight into the growth and movement patterns of invasive lionfish. Lad Akins, Dr. James Morris, and Dr. Stephanie Green teamed up to develop a novel way of visually tagging fish underwater, minimizing both tagging time and fish trauma.