Barbados: Invasive Lionfish

Submitted by Rachel Meier on the 2018 winter session program in Barbados sponsored by the Department of Geography…

Lionfish are an invasive species in Barbados and many other parts of the Caribbean and the Atlantic. They came about when an American aquarium was wrecked in a hurricane and six lionfish were accidentally released in the wild. Unfortunately, lionfish reproduce very rapidly and are deadly to other species of plants and animals, feeding on juvenile fish and decreasing populations by up to 80%. Currently, lionfish are creating a big problem all over and deterring many tourists from entering the water. Scuba divers go on expeditions to capture as many lionfish as possible, and it is usually encouraged by the government (but not incentivized, yet). The divers use spears to capture as many of the dangerous fish as they can carry and come back to land to eat them. Although their spines are very poisonous, the meat of the lionfish is perfectly safe to consume. It’s actually very good—I tried it today. I think that the government should incentivize the hunting of lionfish all over the Caribbean and Atlantic in order to get the population under control and restore the biodiversity in the reefs.