Restaurant decision-maker perceptions of barriers and opportunities for invasive lionfish consumption

Lionfish (Pterois volitans, Pterois miles), invasive coral reef fishes in the western Atlantic, cause extensive negative impacts to marine ecosystems. Following their introduction in Florida in the 1980’s, lionfish colonized numerous coral reef ecosystems and have been documented at depths ranging from 1-300m. In addition to depleting native reef fish biomass and threatening macroalgae induced phase shifts on shallow reefs, the invasion of lionfish has caused severe economic damage in the form of reduced native fish yields for local fisher people and high costs of management. While few examples exist of successful management of marine invasive species, studies have shown that lionfish removal can decrease their density and increase prey species biomass. A critical component and challenge for any effective lionfish removal effort is to maintain consistently high levels of lionfish harvesting so as to reduce lionfish abundance to levels that mitigate their negative ecological impacts. One popular market-based option that may achieve this is increasing the demand for the consumption of lionfish. This management solution offers potential benefits to both human livelihoods and marine ecosystems. Our study focuses on Florida’s consumptive lionfish market and fills a gap in understanding the lionfish supply chain for Florida’s restaurant industry. Although lionfish are commercially available in Florida, they are not currently widely consumed with consistency. We conducted interviews with twenty restaurant decision-makers in FL to understand their perceptions of barriers and opportunities for increasing their use of invasive lionfish. The most commonly identified barriers were: price and consistency of supply, while the most prominent opportunities were: improved awareness and culinary potential to increase the demand for lionfish. Conservation managers and policymakers should leverage these findings to facilitate opportunities, address barriers, and promote public education about invasive lionfish and their impacts.

The Role of Citizen Science in the Research and Management of Invasive Lionfish across the Western Atlantic

Managing invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles) in the Western Atlantic Ocean is beyond the capacity of natural resource organizations alone. In response, organizations have mobilized members of the public and citizen scientists to help. We used a structured survey to assess the activities and perceptions of 71 organizations that engage the public and citizen scientists in lionfish research and management throughout the invaded range of the Western Atlantic. Five case studies were also conducted that exemplified varied and multi-pronged approaches to engagement of the public and citizen scientists in lionfish control, monitoring, and knowledge-sharing. The public has been engaged to some extent in every approach, but organizations most frequently indicated engaging members of the public in raising awareness, promoting consumption, organized culling/removal, tournaments, and data collection. Sixty-five percent of organizations surveyed engaged the public in data collection, and data collection was ranked as the scientific research activity in which the public is most often involved. Most organizations indicated their data has contributed to scientific publications, management, and government agency research and/or policy. Collectively these findings demonstrate the conservation value of citizen scientists to assist organizational efforts to control, manage, and study a large-scale marine invasion.

Total mercury concentrations in invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) from the Atlantic coast of Florida

Invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) pose a serious threat to marine ecosystems throughout the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The development of a fishery for lionfish has been proposed as a strategy for controlling populations; however, there is concern about consumption of this species by humans due to its high trophic position and potential for bioaccumulation of mercury. We analyzed total mercury (THg) in tissues of lionfish from two locations on the east coast of Florida. THg in lionfish increased with size and differed by location and sex. THg was highest in muscle tissue and was strongly positively correlated among tissues. THg in lionfish was lower than other commonly consumed marine fishes, and falls into Florida’s least restrictive advisory level. Consumption of lionfish poses a low risk and concerns over mercury bioaccumulation should not present a significant barrier to lionfish harvest.

Ecological impacts of an invasive mesopredator do not differ from those of a native mesopredator: lionfish in Caribbean Panama

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. Here, we present empirical evidence from Caribbean Panama and beyond suggesting that lionfish are less abundant than native mesopredators. Furthermore, we show that their direct impacts on survivorship and size distributions of one native prey species are similar to those of a native mesopredator. These results support calls for lionfish management that considers evolving local ecological and social dynamics, including prey community composition, the roles of native mesopredators, and regional goals for conservation and fisheries. Recognition of regional context creates the potential for synergies between conservation actions aimed both at the invasion and other consequential problems such as overexploitation and climate change.