Lionfish: Sea Monsters of the Carolinas

by Rachel O’Connor

Invasive species are a critical issue to address for the waters of southeastern North Carolina. With fragile ecosystems around every bend, the invasion of nonnative species threatens to degrade habitats and eliminate local populations and communities. While management efforts are underway, it’s hard to prevent every species from causing damage, with one of those being the beautiful but venomous lionfish (Pterois sp.).

Lionfish have been slowly invading the Atlantic from the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans. However, they didn’t just swim their way to the Atlantic. It’s believed that a 25-year record of pet lionfish abandonment has led to the current issue of invasive lionfish. While lionfish seem like a great addition to an aquarium, many end up dumped offshore because they are aggressive toward other fish, they grow larger than aquarists can handle, or for other reasons.

Kristin Holloman-Noe, Outreach Coordinator at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, explained, “It’s important when making an animal a pet to understand the life expectancy, the developmental stages and timeline, and the biological needs of the animal.”

After abandonment, lionfish move into shipwrecks, like some of the World War II “Battle of the Atlantic” and Civil War wrecks where they have few—if any— predators in those communities.

“Shipwrecks and reefs are known to draw a great diversity of species, but with none of those capable of defending against the Lionfish, those ecosystems are collapsing,” said Holloman-Noe. Divers have even reported that shipwrecks are now covered with lionfish.

Without their native ecological checks and balances in these habitats, lionfish prey on the native grouper and snapper species(1), and commercially important bass and crustaceans. Research has found that even a single lionfish can reduce the recruitment of native fishes by 79%. In fact, a lone lionfish can eat up to 5,000 native animals in a single year. (2)

In an interview with diver Cindy Garb, owner of Instigator Fishing and Diving Charters, she discussed experiences of diving and seeing lionfish “the size of basketballs” off the North Carolina coast. Garb mentioned that after they mature, lionfish can produce tens of thousands of eggs every three to four days; lionfish mature after one year and can live to thirty years old.

Cindy Garb is incredibly passionate about lionfish management and the fact that lionfish are a huge threat on the ledges and shipwrecks that are usually teeming with life. She exphasized the importance of hunting both large lionfish and small, as small lionfish can still eat the young fry of declining grouper species in the area. Garb also supports co-ops in her shop that have taken measures to control lionfish, as pretty much all parts of the lionfish can be used for filets, jewelry, shoes, wallets and purses. She sells frozen lionfish filets in her dive shop and works with local restaurants and food trucks, selling them lionfish meat for their customers. Both Garb and Holloman-Noe report having enjoyed delicious lionfish ceviche and tacos.

Red lionfish (Pterois volitans) are particularly attractive because of their higher percentage of healthy fatty acids than their local counterparts, which demonstrates a nutritious value for local foodies. Fish connoisseurs have also found lionfish to have a mild flavor, fantastic for a variety of culinary needs. Lionfish filets are similar in size to snapper. (3) Entire cookbooks are dedicated to lionfish recipes, with Garb’s favorite recipe being lionfish ceviche.

A horrifying experience of invasive lionfish involved seeing a member of the typically tropical species on a North Carolina wreck in December 2021. Garb had returned to a site to locate a GoPro camera that had been used recently and saw a small lionfish swimming through the water. She swatted it into a large bag, careful to not get stuck by any of the venomous quills, and surfaced. She had been seeing lionfish since she started diving in 2005, but December 2021 was the first time she saw one in a wreck in the winter, indicating the potential for future colonization of the wrecks year round.

Lionfish and invasive species in general have created greater revenue potential for sectors of the blue economy such as recreational fishing. If you’re interested in hunting lionfish, dive shops are great locations to ask where lionfish are currently living. According to Garb, “where you find lobster, you find lionfish.” With invasive species being near-impossible to eliminate once they are established in the local ecosystems, hunting them is a great solution to helping control the population size.(1) Spearfishers like Garb are very passionate about conservation and ecosystem management, and she explained the importance of training in spearfishing before attempting it in order to know which species to hunt and which are important to conserve.

Garb also described some of the dangers in hunting lionfish. She warns divers hunting lionfish that “if you are allergic to bee stings, you are probably allergic to lionfish venom” and cautions them to keep Epi-Pens on hand in case of emergency.

Recreational fishing and the restaurant industry are crucial to lowering lionfish numbers across the eastern seaboard. As management officials continue to work with local stakeholders to address the lionfish problem offshore, the development of a local commercial lionfish market is encouraged. Spearfishers like Cindy Garb can be a critical line of defense to a fight against rapidly reproducing invasives like the lionfish. Making sure invasive species management is prioritized could be the next fight for a sustainable future.

1. nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?speciesID=963

2. www.scseagrant.org/red-lionfish-super-invader-for-supper/

3. www.wunc.org/environment/2022-08-25/ hands-deck-researchers-divers-testing-quell-lionfish-invasion-cree

Albins, M.A., and M.A. Hixon. 2008. “Invasive Indo-Pacific Lionfish Pterois volitans Reduce Recruitment of Atlantic Coral Reef Fishes.” Mar Ecol Prog Ser 367: 233-238. Accessed by: www.vetofish.com/sites/vetofish. com/files/actu/attachment/invasive_indo-pacific_lionfish_pterois_ volitans_reduce_recruitment_of_atlantic_coral-reef_fishes.pdf

Morris, J.A., A. Thomas, A.L. Rhyne, N. Breen, L. Akins, and B. Nash. 2011. “Nutritional Properties of the Invasive Lionfish: A Delicious and Nutritious Approach for Controlling the Invasion.” Aquaculture, Aquariums, Conservation & Legislation 5: 99-102. Accessed by: docs. rwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1142&context=fcas_fp

Munoz, R.C., Currin, C.A., and P.E. Whitfield. 2011. “Diet of Invasive Lionfish on Hard Bottom Reefs of the Southeast USA: Insights from Stomach Contents and Stable Isotopes.” Mar Ecol Prog Ser 432: 181-193. Accessed by: www.int-res.com/articles/meps2011/432/m432p181.pdf

www.wunc.org/environment/2022-08-25/ hands-deck-researchers-divers-testing-quell-lionfish-invasion-creep

www.scseagrant.org/red-lionfish-super-invader-for-supper/

www.newsweek.com/em-clark-world-war-two-ship-sunk-lionfishmarine-life-swarm-venomous-video-1710001

lionfishcentral.org/hunting-lionfish/lionfish-hunting-north-carolina/

oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/lionfish.html

www.npr.org/2020/08/26/906333379/ researchers-develop-a-trap-to-control-population-of-invasive-lionfish

blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/2022/05/24/a-new-study-outlines-the-dos-anddonts-of-managing-invasive-lionfish

Rachel O’Connor is an intern with Cape Fear’s Going Green.