Why lionfish have become a threat to Brazil’s ecosystem

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Considered invasive, the lionfish species has no known natural predators in Brazil and poses a risk to marine life in the local ecosystem and to human health.

The data are from the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), which also catalogued a sighting in the country in December last year. The fish is endemic to regions bordering the confluence of the Indian and Pacific Oceans (Indo-Pacific).

Of the 11 animals recorded in Noronha between December 2020 and now, 6 were captured, 4 of them last month. Another 4 were only sighted: 2 on Thursday, 1 on Wednesday and another in August, in addition to a suspected sighting also in August.

Head of the ICMBio in Fernando de Noronha, environmental analyst Carla Guaitanele said that the captured animals are frozen to be sent to the Fluminense Federal University (UFF) for research to identify the real origin of the fish.

Researchers estimate that the appearance of the species in the Atlantic Ocean may have originated from animals released in Florida (USA) at least 30 years ago, which would have resulted in a migration to the region bathed by the Caribbean Sea.

According to the analyst, each time the fish appear, an identification is drawn up on the map with the location where the animal was recorded. If captured, it is measured, weighed, and an analysis is made of the correlation between the specimens taken from the wild.

According to Guaitanele, the presence of lionfish in the country can lead to an environmental imbalance. “Because it is an invasive species, native animals still don’t know how to interact with it, which can cause a negative interference in the ecosystem.”

The species can eat another animal almost its own size, feed on 20 small fish in half an hour, and the female can lay about 30,000 eggs.

Furthermore, contact between humans and lionfish, which have 18 poisonous spines, can cause pain, nausea, and even seizures.

According to the analyst, three teams of divers have been trained by the agency to capture the species in Fernando de Noronha. Next month, a specialist from the Caribbean should land in Brazil to provide a more advanced level of training.

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