JakeLevenson
Recovering Aquarist
Hi all,
Been quite some time since I last posted, I hope everyone is doing well. I'm writing today because I've recently begun working more and more on invasive species issues in the Caribbean. In particular, the invasion of Lionfish and how protected area managers can work to keep their numbers at bay. The result is a damn lot of lionfish being killed, which, although I never want to see anything killed, it's necessary to protect native fishes and healthy ecosystems. My question is two fold.
1) Why do retailers continue to import Lionfish despite the fact their readily off our shores?
2) Is there interest in replacing imported Lionfish in the aquarium industry with lionfish captured through invasive species reduction programs?
I guess I'm trying to think of an economic incentive for local fishermen in the Caribbean to capture lionfish beyond the dinner table. My guess is it's probably easier to pay a kid in Indonesia 25 cents to get a lionfish and ship it to LA, than it is to capture a lionfish in the Caribbean and ship to Boston.
Since I've been spending a lot of time speaking to fishermen and divers about the issue, I thought I'd also pick the brains of the Boston Reefers.
Thanks!
Jake
Been quite some time since I last posted, I hope everyone is doing well. I'm writing today because I've recently begun working more and more on invasive species issues in the Caribbean. In particular, the invasion of Lionfish and how protected area managers can work to keep their numbers at bay. The result is a damn lot of lionfish being killed, which, although I never want to see anything killed, it's necessary to protect native fishes and healthy ecosystems. My question is two fold.
1) Why do retailers continue to import Lionfish despite the fact their readily off our shores?
2) Is there interest in replacing imported Lionfish in the aquarium industry with lionfish captured through invasive species reduction programs?
I guess I'm trying to think of an economic incentive for local fishermen in the Caribbean to capture lionfish beyond the dinner table. My guess is it's probably easier to pay a kid in Indonesia 25 cents to get a lionfish and ship it to LA, than it is to capture a lionfish in the Caribbean and ship to Boston.
Since I've been spending a lot of time speaking to fishermen and divers about the issue, I thought I'd also pick the brains of the Boston Reefers.
Thanks!
Jake
