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Lionfish
Sighting in West Palm Beach
Captain's
Log
 On
Sunday, September 28th, one of our staff, Jeff Hawes,
sighted and photographed a lionfish. An exotic species,
the native range of a lionfish, pterois volitans,
is the Indo-Pacific.
Presumably
released from an aquarium, the lionfish was discovered
sculling under a reef ledge on Breaker's Reef at depth
of 55-feet. Jeff, an underwater photographer, immediately
realized the significance of the sighting and surfaced
for his photography equipment. Within minutes of his initial
sighting, he was able to document the lionfish in its
nonnative habitat, while Captain Dean Shuler and other
divers observed.
After
capturing a series of stunning underwater photographs,
Jeff commented, "With hundreds of dives in Palm Beach,
I'd never even considered the possibility of encountering
such a unique and beautiful fish". Identified by
its distinctive red, maroon, and white stripes and fleshy
tentacles above its eyes and below its mouth, a lionfish
has an array of venomous spines. With a maximum size of
17-inches, this lionfish was approximately 8-inches in
length.
Dean
states, "This is a remarkable discovery. Our initial
concern is that divers are careful in the presence of
lionfish like they would be with a Portuguese Man O' War
and scorpionfish." Although a popular species, their
dorsal, anal, and pelvic spines are highly venomous and
capable of severe pain, paralysis, and, in rare cases,
death.
The
effect of lionfish along the East Coast of the United
States is a controversial issue. While the consequences
are still unknown, due to their predatory nature, and
the fact that they have no known predators in the local
marine environment, they are considered a threat to the
native marine life by some marine biologists. Victor Neugebauer,
a Senior Biologist with Keith & Schnars, P.A. in Ft.
Lauderdale, Florida states. "Lionfish are carnivores
that ambush their prey. They eat about any fish small
enough to swallow. Some juvenile native species will not
reach sexual maturity, and not be able to reproduce potentially
leading to a decrease of endemic marine life."
Lionfish
have been observed from Florida to New York in depths
in excess of 80-feet, so observing one in 55-feet of water
is unique. This may be the first official sighting south
of St. Augustine, Florida. This sighting was reported
to Dan Roberts, a Research Scientist with the Florida
Marine Research Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida and
Paula Whitfield, a Marine Biologist with the NOAA Center
for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research in Beaufort,
North Carolina.
 Divers
should be careful in the presence of a lionfish. If
you observe a lionfish, please Contact
Us and report the sighting to Dan
Roberts at the Florida Marine Research Institute and
Paula
Whitfield at the NOAA Center for Coastal Fisheries
and Habitat Research.
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