A venomous marine fish, known as the Lionfish, is native to tropical regions in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. In 1992 Hurricane Andrew tore through South Florida and was labeled the most destructive hurricane in the history of the United States. The category five storm is thought to have caused the accidental introduction of the species into FLorida. An aquarium was devastated by the winds, and released several Lionfish into Biscayne Bay. That, along with owners who became dissatisfied with the animals after realizing they’d eat other fish, and ignorantly set them free in the Atlantic, allowed the organisms to populate the waters very quickly.
The Lionfish is considered “one of the most aggressively invasive species on the planet”; there were no enemies within the Atlantic as none of the fish in this area had seen a Lionfish before. They wouldn’t realize that the Lionfish was in fact a cold predator, with extremely effective venomous spines, and had no enemies to limit its own population growth. They reproduce year round and fifty thousand eggs are released on a three day interval from mature females. The warm Gulf Stream aided their cause, as it’s water carried their eggs and larvae North, and
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To fully understand what is happening to the environment as a result of their introduction, scientists must continue to conduct more research. A monitoring program to check on the growth of the population of these fish is necessary. Hunting, trapping, and even eating the harmful marine animals are all probable resolutions. Since the only enemies they could have are overfished (i.e. the grouper), hunting the Lionfish could have a positive impact. Also they are entirely edible, have lower than average iron and metal levels compared to other fish, and are full of heart-healthy omega-3s, so they could become a new family
In Astoria, Oregon, invasive colonies of California Sea Lion have become overpopulated causing depleted populations of native fish, economical issues for the coastal city and they have caused immense damage to the docks. Due to the destructive nature of this invasive species on this ecosystem it becomes necessary to determine what is the most effective way of deterring California Sea Lions from colonizing on the Astoria docks and shoreline. If we relocate the California Sea Lions then, there will be a larger consistent decrease in the sea lion population than when scare tactics were previously used.
As well as pollution, invasive species are damaging the lake ecosystems and food chains, made fragile by pollution and overfishing. The introduction of a new species throws off the balance of food chains. Some common invasive species include the sea lamprey, Asian carp, and zebra mussels, among many others. Zebra mussels have dramatically influenced and affected stable food chains by reducing the amount of zooplankton and phytoplankton. This presents a problem, as fish mostly feed on the drifters, and so they go hungry and die, leaving no food for larger fish to prey on. In addition to underwater disruption, it affects us as well, but only slightly. Plankton and algae especially are the most productive aquatic producers of oxygen, and by the decreasing population, we lose oxygen as well. The sea lamprey is also a problem, though it is not so influential to ecosystems as the zebra mussel.
Nature has a unique way of working, then the humankind comes and ruins it all. The California Sea Lion is feeding off a species on the endangered species list, The Salmon. The Salmon attempts to travel upstream thru the Bonneville Dam where the Sea Lion awaits them. The Sea lion then eat them not allowing them to travel upstream becoming a greater problem for the already endangered species.
Florida’s ecosystems are at risk due to the invasive species which inhabit our state. Because of the negative impact of the invasive species of Florida, we should be informed and aware of the effects. There are many non-native, not only animals, but plant species also which are of concern. Three invasive species that are harming Florida are Lionfish, the Burmese Pythons, and the Brazilian Pepper.
One of the most mystifying creatures of the deep blue sea, the cuttlefish is not a fish it is some squid-like mollusks. The cuttlefish has a large out stretched body with its mouth being surrounded by tentacles, giving it the nickname head-footed. Cuttlefish around the world varies from sizes of 15cm to 60cm and weigh from the range of 6lb to 23lb. This creature is found throughout the warm tropical shallows of the ocean to the cold depths of the deep ocean.in order for the cuttlefish to survive they are able to change their body color and they body texture to blend in with different marine environments, while being prey upon dolphin, sharks, seals, cuttlefish, and other big fish. The cuttlefish uses its ability of changing colors to hide itself
At New Melones, as the lake level dropped another 3-feet last week, avid fishermen were not discouraged as they launched off the gravel area of Glory Hole Point where 4-wheel drive is recommended. Graveyard shift anglers are catching trout, crappie, and catfish, using submersible lights and live minnows. Daytime anglers are finding the trout and kokanee down to the 50 to 70-foot level. Bob James, of Murphys, a frequent angler at Melones, caught a limit of kokes last week by trolling an Apex lure at 65-feet in the main lake. Bass fishing remains good early mornings and late evenings. Topwater baits such as Whopper Poppers, buzzbaits, and spinnerbaits can produce some explosive topwater action. Dark colors seem to work better at night. Catfish are always around and last week's big fish winner at Glory Hole Sports was John Wilson, of
The sea lions currently populating the docks in Astoria Oregon may be causing serious depletion of fish as well as causing problems for the infrastructure of the docks they reside on. They are native to the California coastline but have made their way to the docks in Astoria which lies on the Columbia River. The reason this can be such a problem is because when you introduce an animal population that does not have any predators in their new habitat it can lead to overpopulation which leads to underpopulation of what they consume. In this case, the california sea lions are overpopulated and eating too many of the fish in that area of the Columbia River. The overpopulation of sea
This history will lead kids and adults to navigate the waves of imagination, on an exciting adventure, which begins on the seabed and culminates with a fight for life between brave goldfish, captured by a fishing net, and his enemy – the terrible Mr. Cat.
Bycatch is defined by Webster’s dictionary as: “the unwanted fish and other marine creatures caught during commercial fishing for a different species”. Bycatch is one of the most threatening facets of overfishing. It is responsible for removing vast numbers of aquatic life from the ocean, aside from the target species. Another stimulating characteristic found in Myers’ “Rapid Depletion” that is not present in Allan’s “Overfishing” is a solution to current crisis we face. While Allan’s article does a sound job of relaying the message of how important the issue itself is, Myers’ entry offers a suggestion on how to combat it. Specifically, in Myers’ “Rapid Depletion”, he states that there are several ways to successfully combat overfishing: “more efficiently catch target species and reduce bycatch, elimination of taking immature fish before they have time to successfully breed, and of course, momentarily decrease global catch limits” (Myers 281-282). Both articles contain relevant information and utilize visualizations, however the graphs and charts found in “Rapid Depletion” are clearly more advanced and target
The Impact Lionfish is quite dangerous because they damage marine aquatic ecosystems by decimating life on reefs. The way lionfish causes the damage is by eating small fish who keep the reefs healthy. Lionfishes can live a while without eating. While being 3 months or longer that they don’t really have to eat. Which can help them live while unlike the food they eat can’t survive that long without eating.
spatula is commercially harvested in Louisiana, Texas, and Mexico (DiBenedetto 2009). This fish has had a long history with humans as Native Americans would make jewelry out of the scales and bones (Suttkus 1963). Many people do fish for them recreationally; bowfishing and hook and line fishing are becoming more common as they are seen as a trophy fish (Alfaro et al. 2008; DiBenedetto 2009). This fish is important to the local economies as the average yearly harvest of A. spatula in Louisiana is roughly 225,000 kg and brings over $500,000 into the economy (DiBenedetto 2009). It was once seen as a threat to sport fishes but now attitudes are changing (Brinkman 2008). The populations of A. spatula do not currently occur in its full historical range and only limited attempts are being made to encourage its spread back into its historical range (Buckmeier 2008 McDonald et al. 2013). The main factor that has been cited as the cause of the decline is the loss of floodplain connectivity that served as the spawning area (DiBenedetto 2009). The building of levees, dams, and other structures that disconnect the rivers from backwater areas and floodplains not only reduce the amount of flooding events but has also greatly hindered the ability of A. spatula to reproduce sufficiently (Brinkman 2008; DiBenedetto 2009). This native fish is not known to be used as bait, but, because of the major disturbance to the spawning habitat, is of concern to many management agencies (Buckmeier 2008; McDonald et al.
The research for this article was conducted by the University of California. The article focuses on how Atlantic Killfish found on the East Coast are very resilient and have adapted to extremely high levels
Experts are not quite sure how these fish got to the Atlantic. They hypothesize that people have dumped their unwanted Lion Fish in the Atlantic Ocean for up to 25 years. Since these fish are not native to the Atlantic waters they have very few predators. Lion Fish have a negative effect on native fish populations. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission celebrated a day for the removal of Lion Fish. Over 1,000 Lion Fish were removed this day.
One prominent and growing invasive species in the United States is the lionfish. Also known as, Pterois volitans, these species originated in the Indo-pacific from North Australia to southern Japan and south to Micronesia (Molnar, et al., 2008). These lionfish inhabit the coral reefs of tropical waters, and are normally found within crevices of the reefs or residing in caves and ship wreckage (Schofield, et al.,
First, reducing environment change is a good step towards getting rid of invasive species. In the article it states, “They [goldfish] are also an ecological nightmare. Goldfish swim along the bottom of lakes and rivers, uprooting vegetation, disturbing sediment and releasing nutrients that trigger excess algal growth. They feed broadly, eating algae, small invertebrates and fish eggs. To add insult to injury,