Lionfish infestation in Atlantic Ocean

[Still Waters]

The clear waters around Bermuda are as picturesque as you can imagine, and the brilliantly colored fish swimming around are like something from a crayon box. But a serious problem lurks behind the beautiful facade: the lionfish.

Lionfish are not native to the Atlantic Ocean. The venomous, fast reproducing fish are aggressive eaters and will consume anything and everything, gorging so much they are actually getting liver disease. With no known predators -- except human beings -- they can wipe out 90% of a reef.

http://edition.cnn.c...doll/index.html

[Professor Buzzkill]

Why do people in Florida have such crazy pets, and then decide to flush them down the toilet or release them into the wild? Seriously, most of these introduced species seem to come from the one state.

What is wrong with a puppy? or a kitten? And maybe keeping you pet until it is dead instead of releasing it into the wild....

[Simbi Laveau]

Why do people in Florida have such crazy pets, and then decide to flush them down the toilet or release them into the wild? Seriously, most of these introduced species seem to come from the one state.

What is wrong with a puppy? or a kitten? And maybe keeping you pet until it is dead instead of releasing it into the wild....

Morons is what they are.

It's always Florida, and not just marine animals

[White Unicorn]

Why do people in Florida have such crazy pets, and then decide to flush them down the toilet or release them into the wild? Seriously, most of these introduced species seem to come from the one state.

What is wrong with a puppy? or a kitten? And maybe keeping you pet until it is dead instead of releasing it into the wild....

These things happen in other states too, probably more pronounced in Florida because the habit is better for the loosed species.

There have been pirannahs in the Ohio River and rattlesnakes here and there. Lions, cougars and other large cats let loose that crazy Ohio owners can't afford to feed any more. We've had run away neighborhood emu, a lama, and even a yak in our back yard. With the normal coyoties, deer, turkies and Bob cats you never know what you'll see anymore!

Then what do the politicians try to do besides catch or kill innocent animals but try to pass a law against wild animals that includes everybody's US born hand fed parrots or finches as "foreign wild species" and then wonder why the law doesn't pass! People everywhere are just crazy sometimes.

Edited October 20, 2013 by White Unicorn

[White Unicorn]

The clear waters around Bermuda are as picturesque as you can imagine, and the brilliantly colored fish swimming around are like something from a crayon box. But a serious problem lurks behind the beautiful facade: the lionfish.

Lionfish are not native to the Atlantic Ocean. The venomous, fast reproducing fish are aggressive eaters and will consume anything and everything, gorging so much they are actually getting liver disease. With no known predators -- except human beings -- they can wipe out 90% of a reef.

http://edition.cnn.c...doll/index.html

Good news that man is the best predator, we ought to be encouraging using them as a food stuff for animal food instead of just trying to get people to be brave enough to trust the chef in order to eat them.

[TheVeryFirstDinosaur]

Better than an actual lion infestation.

[Babe Ruth]

Why do people in Florida have such crazy pets, and then decide to flush them down the toilet or release them into the wild? Seriously, most of these introduced species seem to come from the one state.

What is wrong with a puppy? or a kitten? And maybe keeping you pet until it is dead instead of releasing it into the wild....

What you say about releases into the wild of pets is certainly true for pythons and lizards, but I don't think that's the case with the Lionfish.

Of late, they have organized efforts to go out and spear as many Lionfish as possible, just to reduce the numbers. They've had pictures of the paper of that, and I think they get 30 or 40 a day when they run them.

Obviously, the oceans span the globe, and fish swim from point to point and ride the currents. I don't think release of pets is the cause of the infestation we experience now.