Reef fish, Coral at Risk as Lionfish Dominate South Florida Waters

How much damage are exotic lionfish doing to native species and ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico? Here’s what LionfishHunters.org says:

Lionfish have no known predators because they do not belong in these waters. There is nothing here to eat them, and nothing to stop them from consuming all of South Florida's reef fish. 

Lionfish were once among the top 10 imported tropical fish for aquariums, but when the lionfish grew too large aquarium owners began dumping the fish into the waters of the Atlantic.  Now they are breeding at a pace so rapid that scientists and volunteers are feverishly trying to fight the invasion.  To do this they are studying and collecting the lionfish, trying to eliminate a species now found in deep as well as shallow waters.  

Dr. Mark A. Hixon, professor of zoology, and a team of graduate and undergraduate students from Oregon State University have demonstrated that a single lionfish can reduce the population of juvenile fish on small coral reefs by 80 percent in just five weeks.  One large lionfish can consume 20 smaller coral reef fish in a 30-minute period.

Lionfish are carnivores that can eat other fish up to two-thirds their own length.

The  loss  of  the herbivorous fish  on  the  reefs  will  set  the  stage  for  seaweed to potentially overwhelm the coral reefs and disrupt the stability of the environment in which they exist. Once established, lionfish will destroy our reefs and throw our entire ecosystem out of balance  leaving  our  coral  reefs  to  die  and seaweed to take over.

Go here to learn more.

Asian Carp Could Threaten Brackish Water Fisheries Too

Asian carp caught in Kentucky Lake. Photo by Steve McCadams

As Activist Angler has reported, the Great Lakes aren’t the only fisheries at risk because of bighead and silver carp.  The invaders threaten riverine impoundments in the Dakotas and natural lakes in Minnesota, as well as reservoirs along the Tennessee, Cumberland, and Ohio River systems.

And now it appears that brackish water fisheries, especially in Louisiana, are endangered as well, according to an article in Houmatoday.com. If that’s the case, we now should worry about shrimp, oysters, crabs, redfish, trout and many other saltwater species.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Evidence of bighead and silver carp living in the salty, brackish waters of coastal Louisiana is worrisome because the fish family they belong to is typically restricted to fresh water, U.S. Geological Survey biologist Duane Chapman said.

“Asian carp appear to be the exception, which was a complete shock to us,” Chapman said. “We don’t have any real data yet on the effects of the fish on brackish water populations of other species. We don’t know what will happen, but we are very concerned.”

 Also in Louisiana, chef Philippe Parola, an angler himself, has been leading the way in encouraging fishermen to catch, keep, and eat Asian carp. Check out his website.

For a little light entertainment, check out the silver carp explosion during rowing practice on a lake off the Missouri River, near St. Louis.

Columbia River Ripe for Mussels Invasion

Portland State University researchers recently revealed some bad news regarding the Columbia River Basin: Water chemistry and temperature there are sufficient, if not ideal, to support invasion by quagga and zebra mussels.

“We found that 68 percent of mussels raised in untreated Columbia River water gained weight,” said researchers Brian Adair. “This does not bode well for the Columbia.”

On a positive note, water in the Willamette appears only marginal for mussels, due to lower calcium levels.

Scientists obtained the results by placing mussels from Lake Mead in containers of untreated water from the two rivers. Then they observed the mussels as calcium concentrations and water temperatures were changed.

“This appears to confirm our fears that mussels would grow well in the Columbia,” said Bill Bradbury of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. “The results underscore the importance of the boat inspection programs and other efforts in our states to keep mussels out of Northwest waters.”

Researchers also are testing several types of coatings to see how well they inhibit mussel growth. Given acceptable surfaces, the shellfish block water intakes with their dense colonies, as well as deplete nutrients and smother fish habitat.

(This article appeared originally in B.A.S.S. Times.)

Feds Say 'Pshaw!' to Asian Carp Threat

The frustration of watching a government that won’t acknowledge a threat to one of the world’s most valuable freshwater systems is perfectly captured by Chris Evans in “Trying hard not to find Asian Carp.”

Check it out at Cleveland.com.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Lt. Col. Jim Schreiner of the corps is quoted as stating: 'We are taking a prudent approach in considering the threat as real.'

“No, you're not. You're wasting millions of tax dollars and valuable time to discredit the very real and immediate threat these plankton predators pose to the Great Lakes.

“More than 30 million people depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water. The lakes float a $7.5-billion-dollar commercial fishing industry and 800,000 jobs. In Ohio alone, tourism on Lake Erie generates $11.5 billion annually and supports 117,000 jobs, according to a July 2012 survey funded in part by the state tourism office.

“These fragile liquid assets are as critical to the economy as the auto industry. Obama supported and continued the bail out of GM and Chrysler without batting an eye. But he turns a blind eye to carp encroaching on the Great Lakes. Why? Apparently, he believes it is more politically expedient to pander to his Illinois maritime cronies, who oppose the only sure solution: hydrological separation of the Mississippi River and Great Lakes basins.”

Help Stop Aquarium Trade from Destroying our Fisheries

Fishing guide Steve Chaconas with a Potomac River snakehead.

How much damage is being done to our waters and our fisheries by the aquarium trade and its irresponsible customers? Far more than you might think.

In my previous post, I quoted a University of California professor who said, “Globally, the aquarium trade has contributed a third of the world's worst aquatic and invasive species.”

Now a biologist friend has provided me with what looks to be the source for that statistic. It is contained in a paper published in 2004. That being the case, I suspect that 1/3 is, by now, an underestimate of the problem.

Sadly, I also suspect that this eye-opening expose has been read by few outside the scientific community. It needs to be read by anglers, environmentalists, and especially by our members of Congress, who have the Constitutional authority and obligation to protect us from this assault on our fisheries and other natural resources by the aquarium trade.

I hope that you will take a look at it --- it’s only eight pages --- and that you will pass it on to others, including your Congressional representatives.

Here’s the introduction, and please note that internet sales are a huge part of this problem:  

"Aquatic invasive species are just a mouse click away from any home in America. There are more than 11 million hobbyists in the U.S. alone, supporting a $25 billion-per-year worldwide industry in aquarium and aquatic ornamental species, most of which are available through mail order and over the Internet (Kay and Hoyle 2001).

"For example, although water hyacinth is banned in many states, and took Florida over 100 years and considerable expense to control (Schardt 1997), it remains available over the Internet for $4.

"While aquarium release is one of the five top avenues for introduction of non-native invasive species (Ruiz et al. 1997), it has received relatively little attention from both scientists and policy makers. The aquarium and ornamental species industry is growing by 14% annually worldwide, and the majority of export dollars enter developing countries.

"Far outstripping the per-pound value of harvested wild fish, ornamental fish harvest and culture is being promoted as a pathway to environmentally sustainable development by the Fisheries Resources Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. However, this largely unregulated industry poses a serious but mostly unrecognized threat to marine and freshwater ecosystems as a source of invasive species."

In a nutshell:

• A third of the world’s worst aquatic invasive species are aquarium or ornamental species.
• The lucrative aquarium trade will never be environmentally sustainable unless the consequences of escapees are considered.
• Regulations to prevent unwanted species introductions from aquarium and ornamental sources currently lack authority.
• A white list of native or safe alternative aquarium and ornamental species will help prevent unwanted introductions.

Here’s a link to the paper, entitled Beyond ballast water: aquarium and ornamental trades as sources of invasive species in aquatic ecosystems.

And here’s a link for information about H.R. 996, Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act. It would set up a white list and a black list for exotic species.

And --- big surprise! --- it’s opposed by the U.S. Herpetoculture Alliance.

Here is a portion of the alliance’s mission statement:

“Our primary mission is to fight for and to protect the rights of herpetoculturists nationwide by impacting regulatory actions at the federal, state and local levels.”

This organization isn’t directly responsible for the exploding population of Burmese pythons in the Everglades and iguanas spreading throughout much of Florida. But it is supportive of lax regulations and policies that allowed these things to happen, as well as the invasion of our waters by snakeheads, cichlids, hydrilla, Eurasian watermilfoil, and many other problematic fish and plant species.

Please, tell your members of Congress to do something about this ever-growing threat to our waters and our fisheries.