|
03/02/2012, 07:01 AM | #26 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Zuehl, Texas
Posts: 4,460
|
|
03/02/2012, 08:29 AM | #27 |
Cyprinius carpio
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 4,496
|
In addition to habitat alteration and destruction invasive species have a huge impact to our biological communities.
I can go in my back yard and find 4 highly invasive species: chinese privet, tree of heaven, multiflora rose, and mimosa (5 if you want to include my grass) right now. I also have English ivy that climbs up my trees and every spring bartlett pear trees bloom, everyone thinks how beautiful they are, and the first hard storm they splinter. They were suppose to be sterile but if you go into the mountain and see white that would be either a dogwood or a pear tree. Usually if something has fur and a cute face we feel bad about killing them. For lionfish we feel bad because they are beautiful creatures, seem harmless, and hold a value for us. On the other side no one would care if we smashed zebra mussels all day long. It will be interesting to see if we can have any real impact to their populations but it sounds like we will be using bubble gum to stop the dam from breaking if they can be found in the sea beds, the reefs, and in deeper waters. |
03/02/2012, 10:01 AM | #28 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Washington, D.C.
Posts: 595
|
I think I understand where you are coming from. After all, it's not their fault they are here. We were the ones who introduced them. But, they need to go.
Quote:
Mike
__________________
Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see - John Lennon |
|
03/02/2012, 05:24 PM | #29 |
As seen on TV
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: South FL
Posts: 571
|
Don't feel sorry for them. They're like aquatic cockroaches down here and something drastic needs to be done soon.
__________________
Real tanks require a wetsuit to clean. |
03/02/2012, 07:52 PM | #30 |
Freak of Nature
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Finding my way back to the boondocks
Posts: 11,048
|
I know down in Australia where they have incredible problems with invasive cane toads there are businesses that go out (or offer a bounty), catch the little buggers then grind them up and make them into fertilizer.
Wonder how good of fertilizer lionfish make? (Likely too cost prohibitive though)
__________________
Cody I will love and miss you until the last beat of my heart Harley & Rusty. |
03/02/2012, 09:40 PM | #31 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Thousand Oaks, CA
Posts: 636
|
Don't kill the lionfish; catch them and sell them to the LFS. Seriously though, as an invasive species, eradication is the ultimate goal.
|
03/03/2012, 01:57 PM | #32 |
Registered Reefer
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Doha, Qatar
Posts: 2,059
|
i have only seen two or three diving in the south pacific. they are definitely in check, population wise in there natural location.i believe the argument is between a hobbyist releasing them, or a hurricane causing an accidental release from a commercial / larger aquarium system.
|
03/03/2012, 02:11 PM | #33 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 8,158
|
Quote:
__________________
Jim Current Tank Info: 120g Mixed Reef and 75g Freshwater |
|
03/03/2012, 02:17 PM | #34 |
Registered Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: port jefferson, ny
Posts: 73
|
Can't seem to find a link to the video but Dan Rather had a nice episode on this issue on HdNet last year. This link should take you to the article.
http://www.hd.net/press_articles/hdn...-of-our-ocean/
__________________
David Current tank: 75 gallon mixed reef + 40 gallon sump ~ 90 gallon volume |
03/03/2012, 02:43 PM | #35 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: MA
Posts: 153
|
Diving in Guam on more than one occasion i was completely surrounded by them. Kinda wigged me out since i couldn't see past them at all and it was dusk. I felt like Mario trying to dodge through them.
I cant really feel sorry for them though. Since they are invasive, they have no natural predators here in the atlantic. Im sure there are sharks in the pacific that keep the common lionfish in check since many sharks eat fairly noxious organisms. Not even the white sharks like them here. They have chummed with lionfish off the east coast to draw the whites in and even they don't eat them. Bluespotted cornetfish are a natural predator of the red lionfish but they aren't native to the atlantic either. Adding them to the atlantic could have a cane toad effect which we would like to avoid. Conclusion for the atlantic ... kill em, kill em all
__________________
Never try to understand water and electricity. The more you think you know the less you do. Sweet! I just won a bid to install a 5500gal system in paradise. Current Tank Info: Big |
03/03/2012, 07:44 PM | #36 |
Advanced Bewilderment
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Panama City Florida
Posts: 563
|
One year I saw none in the Keys, the next they were everywhere. Very invasive.
Curious thing is though, in the Philippines, where they eat pretty much anything they can catch, they don't eat lionfish. Not sure why, then I heard of some issues with ciguatera. That might be it. I never see Barracuda on the menu in the Keys, likely for the same reason.
__________________
Ya gotta be tough, if you're gonna be stupid! Current Tank Info: 200g shallow cube, prop tank |
03/03/2012, 08:19 PM | #37 | |
Puffer Geek
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 325
|
Quote:
As popular as lions are in the home aquarium, imo they should tend to capture them instead. It wouldn't be hard and I'd bet they could sell a live one to fish stores for a larger profit than dead to restaurants. |
|
03/03/2012, 08:37 PM | #38 |
Salty Dog
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 818
|
|
03/03/2012, 09:54 PM | #39 | |
Cyprinius carpio
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 4,496
|
Quote:
As you said a "live one" would be great but there aren't enough tanks for every lionfish around. It does bring up a good point though: How many are sold per year in the trade? |
|
03/03/2012, 09:57 PM | #40 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 123
|
Unfortunately lion fish have destroyed so may ecosystems as they have limited natural predators and it sucks but they must be dealt with. Lionfish is a great fish to eat and i could see some sort of business being made off of lionfish that could give a jult to florida's economy. Lionfish are destructive but they could do us a little good.
|
03/03/2012, 10:04 PM | #41 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 8,158
|
Quote:
__________________
Jim Current Tank Info: 120g Mixed Reef and 75g Freshwater |
|
03/03/2012, 10:07 PM | #42 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 8,158
|
Quote:
__________________
Jim Current Tank Info: 120g Mixed Reef and 75g Freshwater |
|
03/04/2012, 01:31 AM | #43 |
Registered Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Brandon, FL
Posts: 1,065
|
Sorry if I missed it, but how did they get introduced to the Gulf areas from the Pacific?
|
03/04/2012, 07:07 AM | #44 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: MA
Posts: 153
|
Quote:
__________________
Never try to understand water and electricity. The more you think you know the less you do. Sweet! I just won a bid to install a 5500gal system in paradise. Current Tank Info: Big |
|
03/04/2012, 10:07 AM | #45 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Queens NYC
Posts: 1,296
|
Maybe companies should stop importing them for a while or offer the import vs the domestic side by side and give the buyer the option to choose. Start catching and selling some of these for a cheap price, at least put them to use, seeing as most of them are going to die anyway, and let the local people make some cash off of them. I am sure this won't solve the problem, and hunting them will still be needed but if they sell them cheap vs the price of a import it would be cool for at a lucky few of them not to mention the would be buyers.
|
03/04/2012, 10:28 AM | #46 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Brandon
Posts: 283
|
i think Live aquaria does offer larger atlantic ones for cheaper then their pacific cousins from time to time.. just looked and not listed now but im sure ive seen them on there
|
03/04/2012, 05:25 PM | #47 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 16
|
I have seen a couple episodes on Food Network or The Cooking Channel. They featured how resort chefs were starting to utilize the lion fish in their menus.
People who try it really seem to like it. The shows also had the angle of the chefs helping preserve/balance the ecosystems. |
03/04/2012, 09:13 PM | #48 | |
Puffer Geek
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 325
|
Quote:
One thing I'd like to know is how many of the same type are still being brought to our aquarium trade from their native home. imo people should be able to know if it's from florida at the lfs and on live aquaria etc and choose to support the situation in that way. |
|
03/04/2012, 11:47 PM | #49 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: El Paso, Texas
Posts: 1,340
|
maybe fish think the same about us!!! No natural predators and over fishing!
__________________
rpjaws Current Tank Info: 500 glln system/ Reef |
03/05/2012, 06:36 AM | #50 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 92
|
|
Thread Tools | |
|
|