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.

We are thrilled to have teamed up with Waterlust, an eco-clothing company, to create an invasive lionfish collection as their newest line of advocate apparel. The brand-new lionfish line is available on Waterlust's website and includes leggings, an athletic top, a sun suit, and headband. 10% of profits from the sale of the lionfish collection will be donated to REEF. Waterlust products are extremely high quality and are made from environmentally-conscious materials.

Join us for a free community science lesson and activity in our Science Discovery Classroom! This week learn about the spread of the invasive lionfish in the Florida Keys and how it has impacted the ecosystem. Then, watch an educational lionfish dissection and learn how to get involved in our removal efforts!

All ages are welcome!

Frequent culling of the invasive Indo-Pacific Lionfish throughout the Caribbean has been shown to cause a shift towards more wary and reclusive behaviour by lionfish, which has prompted calls for halting culls. This paper, co-authored by REEF Lionfish Program researchers, addresses those concerns and reviews research conducted by REEF and other research efforts. Culling successfully lowers lionfish numbers and has been shown to stabilise or even reverse declines in native prey fish.

During last month's REEF Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival, twenty teams fished from sunrise to sunset for two days, and ultimately collected 1,215 invasive lionfish. The event concluded on Sunday, Sept. 12 at Postcard Inn Resort & Marina in Islamorada, with an outdoor festival featuring lionfish tastings, cooking and dissection demos, games, interactive booths, and live music.

This seminal publication was created by REEF and our collaborators at NOAA, ICRI, the United Nations Environment Programme, Caribbean Environment Programme, SPAW-RAC, and the over 40 participants of the 2010 Caribbean Regional Lionfish Workshop. The guide provides best practices for lionfish control and management, including control strategies, outreach and education, research, monitoring, legal considerations, and ideas for securing resources and partnerships.

REEF, in collaboration with the University of Virgin Islands and Buck Island National Monument, took a major step last week in a novel study to better understand lionfish movement and factors that may influence that movement. The study, focusing on a 2km area of patch and continuous reef in St Croix, used innovative underwater tagging techniques pioneered by REEF to surgically implant transmitters into invasive lionfish within an array of receivers, allowing the team to pinpoint movement of the fish over the next year.

This article highlights the collaborative efforts of conservationists throughout the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic who work to combat the invasive lionfish, including REEF's work to orgnanize removal events such as the Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival.

REEF to Give Public Talk on Exotic Invasive Lionfish

WHAT:
REEF, the Reef Environmental Education Foundation, will host a free educational presentation and discussion about the recent invasion of Atlantic waters by Indo-Pacific lionfish. Though no confirmed sightings have been made in the Florida Keys, the fish have become established along the U.S. east coast, Bahamas and Bermuda and are moving rapidly throughout the Caribbean.

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