Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of the Lionfish Invasion in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico: Perspectives from a Broadscale Trawl Survey

Abstract

The recent introduction of invasive Indo‐Pacific lionfish species (Red Lionfish Pterois volitans and Devil Firefish P. miles, hereafter collectively referred to as lionfish) into the western Atlantic Ocean has been extensively documented in both the scientific literature and the media. Nevertheless, much of the information synthesized has been obtained via diver‐based surveys and there is likely a depth‐related bias to the understanding of the temporal and spatial dynamics of the lionfish invasion. Accordingly, we examined data from a broadscale fisheries‐independent trawl survey of bare substrates and low‐relief habitats that was initiated in 2008 in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Lionfish were first observed in the survey in 2010, when two individuals were collected off southwestern Florida. The distribution of lionfish continued to expand northward through the Florida panhandle in 2011 and 2012, when 40 and 29 lionfish were collected, respectively. A dramatic increase in the abundance (391 individuals) and distribution of lionfish occurred in 2013. Evidence from this survey suggests that lionfish first colonized deeper (>30 m) low‐relief habitats before populations expanded into shallower waters. The prevalence of lionfish on primarily nonreef habitats at depths beyond those frequented by recreational divers will likely have important implications for efforts to control or eradicate lionfish populations in the region. Moving forward, information from long‐term, multispecies surveys such as this will continue to provide valuable insight into the spatial and temporal dynamics of the lionfish invasion and allow us to assess long‐term ecological consequences of increasing lionfish abundances. Received August 3, 2014; accepted November 7, 2014

Age, growth and population structure of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) in northeast Florida using a length-based, age-structured population model

“…Ontogenetic shifts are well documented for many marine fishes (Eggleston, Dahlgren & Johnson, 2004; Eggleston, Grover & Lipcius, 1998; Johnson, 2004), and have been hypothesized to explain the presence of larger lionfish at depth (Barbour et al, 2011; Claydon, Calosso & Traiger, 2012; Swenarton, 2016). Surveys employing other gear types (e.g., ROVs, otter trawls) report that lionfish are abundant at depth in both the Gulf of Mexico (Nuttall et al, 2014; Switzer, Tremain & Keenan, 2015, Aguilar-Perera, Quijano-Puerto & Hernández-Landa, 2016) and western Atlantic Ocean (Meister et al, 2005), although none of the studies report lionfish size distributions. The presence of deep water refuges is a major concern for lionfish management and control, since lionfish residing at depth are inaccessible to spearfishers (currently the primary method of removal), and culling efforts in shallow depths may be replenished by larval export from lionfish at depth (Morris Jr, 2009; Green et al, 2014).…”

A brief review of gears associated with lionfish removals

“…Since their accidental introduction in 1985 off the coast of Florida, lionfish have spread to the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea [2][3][4][5]. Further, they have been found in all marine habitat types and depths in this invaded area [6].…”

A new species of symbiotic palaemonid shrimp of the genus Pseudocoutierea Holthuis, 1951 (Decapoda: Caridea: Palaemonidae) from the eastern Gulf of Mexico, with an updated key for the identification of species of the genus

“…These broad surveys have sampled the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico on a biannual basis to gather independent data on fisheries resources for State and Federal management agencies (see Switzer et al 2015aSwitzer et al , 2015b. As a result, numerous specimens of invertebrates from this biodiverse region have been obtained.…”