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02/15/2002:
Waters Posing Possible Health Threat
Divers and Fishers Alert: Non-native Lionfish offer visual experience, but have venomous spines.
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Released: February 15, 2002
Contacts: Allison McDonald (727) 896-8626; Dan Roberts (727) 896-8626 x2080
St. Petersburg - For more than two years, scientists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI) have been investigating rumors of the presence of lionfish off the east coast of Florida.
Reports have surfaced from Key Biscayne, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach to Jacksonville, but no photographs or fish have been presented as evidence. Last summer lionfish were spotted off Beaufort Inlet, N. C. in the Frying Pan Shoals area.
Several weeks ago David Brown, a high school marine science teacher from Jacksonville, contacted FMRI scientists. Mr. Brown had a specimen of a lionfish given to him by Captain David Hagan.
Capt. Hagan, a commercial fisherman, spotted four lionfish offshore of St. Augustine back in mid-January. He collected a 6.75-inch specimen. The specimen was identified, by FMRI scientists, as
Pterois volitans, the red lionfish. Capt. Hagan reported seeing at least six other lionfish on that trip.
Background:
The official taxonomic nomenclature for the Florida specimen, as well as those from North Carolina and Georgia is
Pterois volitans, commonly referenced as the “red lionfish,” a species that is commonly seen in the size range of 6-12 inches in total length.
The red lionfish have distinctive red to purple color with vertical white stripes, fleshy tentacles above the eyes and below the mouth, and fan-like pectoral fins. The red lionfish is commonly found in the Indian and Pacific oceans. The species ranges from western Australia and Malaysia to the Marquesas Islands. The lionfish is a popular ornamental marine aquarium fish.
Research Scientists at FMRI want to document all sightings, collections and other incidents relative to this species as well as other non-native marine species. Scientists also want to learn more about their distribution, abundance and habitat preference.
Special Warning:
It is becoming increasingly likely that divers in excess of 80 feet, in water temperatures above 78 degrees Fahrenheit along the east coast of Florida, may encounter the red lionfish and possibly other lionfish species. Dorsal, anal and pelvic spines of this fish are venomous and may cause severe local pain, numbness, paralysis, respiratory illness and, in rare cases, death.
For more information please contact Allison McDonald at (727) 896-8626
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