Lionfish Research Paper

The terrestrial runoff spawned at around the time of major storms that wash large amounts of nutrients promotes plankton to blooms, which increase the food for many animals including Crown-of-Thorns Starfish larvae. The Great Barrier Reef receives runoff from 35 major catchments, which drain 424,000 square kilometres of coastal Queensland (Reefplan.qld.gov.au, 2012). Attacking the Crown of Thorns Starfish problem is through an integrated pest management approach that may be achieved by improving water quality as the long-term benefits to the health of the Great Barrier Reef.

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.

In taking action, Organizations in the Saranac Lake area created the Invasive Prevention and Preparedness plan. This was a 116 page plan aimed at preventing various invasive species, including the Asian clam, from entering the lake. The plan detailed regional actions, enforcement of New York State prevention law and various efforts coordinated through the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program. The plan also went over watershed action. This meant active prevention at New York State DEC boat launch sites. Before the clam outbreak in Lake George, Inspection and decontamination sites in Saranac lake did not meet the Clean-Drain-Dry Standard. Upon seeing the harm the clams had on the quality of lake George, Saranac Lake took steps to increase the effectiveness of these boat launch

How the Lionfish was introduced is not clear, but it is speculated that either through aquarium trade and thoughtless fish owners releasing the fish, or from the ballast water from foreign ships, that the Lionfish has been introduced (National Park Service. “Lionfish”). Over the years Lionfish have had quite a negative effect on the ecosystems it

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

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.

The Pterois volitans, commonly known as Lionfish was primarily found in the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific to the islands of the South Pacific. Although, throughout the years was encountered as an invasive threat in the Caribbean Sea. It is believed that such specie was first introduced in the wake of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. However, another suitable theory would be that its introduction relies on ships transporting imported goods. Also, in current days it became popular in personal aquariums, although when the specie reaches its adulthood it is released into the ocean.

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.,