Experimental assessment of lionfish removals to mitigate reef fish community shifts on northern Gulf of Mexico artificial reefs

Dahl, Kristen A.; Patterson, William F.; Snyder, Richard A.

doi:10.3354/meps11898

Cited by 49 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…S . S M I T H between the ecological effectiveness of culling and reductions in management costs or effort (Dahl et al, 2016;Smith et al, 2017;Usseglio et al, 2017). These studies underscore the challenges of finding a viable solution to the lionfish problem.…”

Section: Towards Solutions To the Lionfish Problemmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…at least monthly) over many years (Morris et al ., ; Green et al, ; Johnston & Purkis, ). Given the limited resources available to marine managers, several studies have recently examined the trade‐offs between the ecological effectiveness of culling and reductions in management costs or effort (Dahl et al, ; Smith et al, ; Usseglio et al, ). These studies underscore the challenges of finding a viable solution to the lionfish problem.…”

Section: Towards Solutions To the Lionfish Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These studies underscore the challenges of finding a viable solution to the lionfish problem. For instance, although less frequent culling reduced lionfish abundances on artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico (Dahl et al, ) and natural reefs in The Bahamas (Smith et al, ), it was insufficient to stem the decline in native prey fishes. Moreover, culling can have unintended consequences: lionfish behaviour can change to make further culling less effective (Côté et al, ) and lionfish recruitment spiked on culled reefs after a hurricane (Smith et al, ).…”

Section: Towards Solutions To the Lionfish Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The lionfish Pterois sp. invasion: Has the worst‐case scenario come to pass?

Côté

Smith

2018

Journal of Fish Biology

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This review revisits the traits thought to have contributed to the success of Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois sp. as an invader in the western Atlantic Ocean and the worst-case scenario about their potential ecological effects in light of the more than 150 studies conducted in the past 5 years. Fast somatic growth, resistance to parasites, effective anti-predator defences and an ability to circumvent predator recognition mechanisms by prey have probably contributed to rapid population increases of lionfish in the invaded range. However, evidence that lionfish are strong competitors is still ambiguous, in part because demonstrating competition is challenging. Geographic spread has likely been facilitated by the remarkable capacity of lionfish for prolonged fasting in combination with other broad physiological tolerances. Lionfish have had a large detrimental effect on native reef-fish populations in the northern part of the invaded range, but similar effects have yet to be seen in the southern Caribbean. Most other envisaged direct and indirect consequences of lionfish predation and competition, even those that might have been expected to occur rapidly, such as shifts in benthic composition, have yet to be realized. Lionfish populations in some of the first areas invaded have started to decline, perhaps as a result of resource depletion or ongoing fishing and culling, so there is hope that these areas have already experienced the worst of the invasion. In closing, we place lionfish in a broader context and argue that it can serve as a new model to test some fundamental questions in invasion ecology.

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Section: Towards Solutions To the Lionfish Problemmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Towards Solutions To the Lionfish Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Towards Solutions To the Lionfish Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The lionfish Pterois sp. invasion: Has the worst‐case scenario come to pass?

Côté

Smith

2018

Journal of Fish Biology

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“…Culling is currently the most common form of lionfish control within the region (Malpica-Cruz et al, 2016), and it can effectively decrease lionfish abundances and limit their ecological impacts at local scales in some situations (e.g., Frazer et al, 2012;Green et al, 2014; but see Dahl et al, 2016). However, these interventions must be maintained over the long term to prevent lionfish populations from rebounding (Arias-Gonzalez et al, 2011;Barbour et al, 2011).…”

Section: The Potential For Reef Tourists To Fund Lionfish Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heterogeneous Attitudes of Tourists toward Lionfish in the Mexican Caribbean: Implications for Invasive Species Management

et al. 2017

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Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles) are invasive predators established throughout the Wider Caribbean. They have already caused significant ecological impacts and have the potential to affect local economies that depend on coral reefs. Snorkeling and scuba diving are important activities that rely on esthetically pleasant reefs. We asked whether lionfish-invaded reefs have lower esthetic value and whether fees to help control the invasion might be acceptable to recreational divers and snorkelers in the Mexican Caribbean. To do so, we conducted a choice experiment in which tourists were asked to indicate their preferences for coral reef images with varying attributes that can be affected by lionfish. We specified a priori two classes of respondents, i.e., snorkelers and divers, but two latent classes of recreational divers (casual vs. committed) emerged on the basis of their preferences. Tourist age, commitment to snorkeling/diving, and lionfish awareness explained class membership. Casual divers and snorkelers preferred reefs with lionfish and accepted their impacts on the reefs. In contrast, committed divers disliked lionfish and associated impacts, and would elect to dive elsewhere if such impacts were high. Casual divers and snorkelers preferred options with low lionfish control fees, while committed divers were willing to pay high fees. Our results indicate potential economic impacts of the lionfish invasion in regions that depend on reef-related tourism, and that lionfish control fees might be acceptable to some but not all recreational users. However, because all tourists favored to a greater extent reef features that can be affected detrimentally by lionfish than they favored lionfish themselves, we predict that managing the lionfish invasion should be beneficial to the local reef tourism industry.

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“…More recently, P. miles has established in the Mediterranean as a lessepsian migrant through the Suez Canal (Bariche, Kleitou, Kalogirou, & Bernardi, 2017) and continues to expand (Azzurro, Stancanelli, Di Martino, & Bariche, 2017;Kletou, Hall-Spencer, & Kleitou, 2016). Regional control of the invasive complex in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico is largely ineffective due to larval replenishment and requires repeated culling efforts (Andradi-Brown et al, 2017;Barbour, Allen, Frazer, & Sherman, 2011;Dahl, Patterson, & Snyder, 2016), although there may be some success on a localized scale (Frazer, Jacoby, Edwards, Barry, & Manfrino, 2012;Green, Underwood, & Akins, 2017), suggesting proactive management for these species and their close relatives may be appropriate.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Data quality and quantity for invasive species: A case study of the lionfishes

2019

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Predicting invasion risk involves inherent uncertainty when data on biological and ecological characteristics are lacking. To combat data gaps, assessors are required to use information from secondary sources, further reducing predictive accuracy. Lionfish in the subfamily Pteroinae have invasion history in the Western Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, raising concern that other species of globally traded lionfish may pose risks similar to the invasive complex comprised of the red lionfish (Pterois volitans, Scorpaenidae) and devil firefish (Pterois miles, Scorpaenidae). We conducted a standardized literature review of 18 species in the genera Pterois, Dendrochirus, and Parapterois to (a) characterize the volume and composition of literature addressing the invasive complex pre‐establishment and pre‐spread, and compare it to the body of literature that has been generated post‐spread and impact, (b) compare the volume and composition of literature addressing other members of Pteroinae to the invasive complex, and (c) evaluate data quality addressing the Pteroinae by characterizing literature used to generate biological profile reports during a risk screening protocol. Little data were available for the invasive complex prior to introduction and focused primarily on the composition or effects of venom. Following introduction, there was a considerable time lag in research effort. Post‐spread, research effort increased rapidly. We identify similar data deficiencies for other species of lionfish that have not been reported outside of their native ranges. While proactive management is gaining support as an effective framework, it is important to understand data limitations and their resulting uncertainties, which leads to more informed proactive management.

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Experimental assessment of lionfish removals to mitigate reef fish community shifts on northern Gulf of Mexico artificial reefs

Cited by 49 publications

References 47 publications

The lionfish Pterois sp. invasion: Has the worst‐case scenario come to pass?

The lionfish Pterois sp. invasion: Has the worst‐case scenario come to pass?

Heterogeneous Attitudes of Tourists toward Lionfish in the Mexican Caribbean: Implications for Invasive Species Management

Data quality and quantity for invasive species: A case study of the lionfishes

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