A Nearly Irreversible Infestation

A map depicting where the infestation is occurring

In the Caribbean and surrounding picturesque locations, the infestation of Lionfish is a growing problem. While very beautiful, these lionfish are considered highly dangerous because of their venomous nature 

and large reproduction numbers. Lionfish will eat everything and everything and because they are not a naturally occurring fish in the Atlantic Ocean, they are changing the food chain and impacting the surrounding wildlife in a very negative way. The problem, other than unnatural occurrences in the ocean, is that the Lionfish have no natural predators other than humans. The rapid reproduction rates make them impossible toe exterminate for humans. "The lionfish invasion is probably the worst environmental disaster the Atlantic will ever face," said Graham Maddocks, president and founder

of Ocean Support Foundation. The Lionfish reproduce faster than almost any other marine life form. They produce 30,000 to 40,000 eggs every few days and reach sexual maturity at only about 1 years old. They are currently spread through the Amazon, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, as well as waters around North Carolina. According to most of the research done, just a few fish that escaped from owners In Florida started this lionfish epidemic. In fact, DNA evidence shows that all the lionfish in the Atlantic were started by just 3-4 female lionfish escaping and rapidly became an absurd amount of them. Maddocks said, "I don't know if we can stop the lionfish invasion. This isn't a battle we can win, we can only maintain," he said. "Human beings started this problem. It is our fault they are here. We have to take responsibility and try to fix or hope we can control it."

Citations:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/18/tech/innovation/lionfish-infestation-atlantic-linendoll/