This article highlights some of the ways that the Upper Keys community has adressed the invasive lionfish, including REEF's 8th Annual Earth Day "Locals" Lionfish Derby held on April 23-25, 2021 in Key Largo.
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- INVASIVE
Learn how to safely conduct lionfish removals by attending a REEF Invasive Lionfish Collecting & Handling Workshop.
Workshops include a classroom portion that covers background on the invasion, lionfish biology, ecological impacts, current research, and collecting and handling techniques. After we wrap up the classroom portion of the workshop, we will head out to the water for a 2-tank dive to put our skills to work.
The impacts of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) on native coral reef populations in the Western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea can be enormous. However, how much lionfish differ from native predators and whether their effects outweigh the abundant mesopredators that occupy many reefs invite continued examination. The authors of this paper present empirical evidence from Caribbean Panama and beyond, suggesting that lionfish are less abundant than native mesopredators (e.g. small seabass).
The article highlights Team Forever Young's participation in the 2022 REEF Earth Day Lionfish Derby, where they collected a record 426 invasive lionfish in one day.
The authors of this study examined drivers of public involvement and success at invasive removal in tournaments (derbies) to catch Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) in the Western Atlantic. Information on 69 lionfish derbies held in the wider Caribbean region from 2010 to 2015 was compiled, including REEF Lionfish Derbies. The authors found that the number of lionfish caught increased with effort and with time since lionfish were established in an area.
Join REEF staff Dr. Alli Candelmo for an update on current research findings of the invasive lionfish in the Tropical Western Atlantic.
This paper examined the genetic source of the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish in the Bahamas. Many of the samples used in this study were collected during REEF's lionfish research trips during 2007 and 2008. Two species, Pterois volitans and P. miles, were well established along the United States east coast before the first lionfish were reported from the Bahamas in 2004, where they quickly dispersed throughout the archipelago by 2007.
Brewing Awareness, Fighting Invaders!
Join us at Florida Keys Brewing Co. on Saturday, August 17, from 4pm-9pm for an exciting night of raising awareness about the threat of invasive lionfish! The event is free and open to the public and will include engaging activities, free lionfish tastings, live music, and family-friendly fun.
We're gearing up to host the 15th annual REEF Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival on August 15-18! A Lionfish Derby is a competition where teams of divers and snorkelers compete to collect as many invasive lionfish as possible. REEF Lionfish Derbies educate the public about invasive species, gather important scientific information on lionfish populations, and help to develop a consumer market for invasive lionfish.
Thanks to the generous support of OpenROV and National Geographic, REEF received two Trident remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) to advance our research on endangered Nassau Grouper and invasive lionfish.