Côte, I.

Green, S.

Aquatic Commons

Proceedings of the 62nd Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute     November 2 - 6, 2009   Cumana, Venezuela 
Consumption Potential of Invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans) On Caribbean Coral Reefs  
 
STEPHANIE GREEN and ISABELLE CÔTE  
Department of Biological Sciences Simon Fraser University 8888 University Drive Burnaby, BC V5A1S6 Canada   
 
EXTENDED ABSTRACT  
First reported from Atlantic coral reefs in 2004, Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans) have spread rapidly around the 
Caribbean basin (Freshwater et al. 2009, Morris et al. 2009) and are now one of the most abundant predators of their size on 
invaded Bahamian coral reefs (REEF 2009).  Following this rapid range expansion, temporal data from the Reef Environ-
mental Education Foundation reveal exponential increases in the local abundance of lionfish in several regions (REEF 
2009).  There is great concern about the ecological and economic impacts of dense lionfish populations on Caribbean coral 
reef systems (Green and Cote 2009).  Analyses of lionfish stomach contents from the Bahamian archipelago reveal that 
lionfish prey on over 50 species of native Caribbean reef fish (Green Unpublished data, Morris and Akins 2009) and studies 
on experimental reefs reveal that  a single lionfish can reduce the recruitment of native Caribbean fishes by 80% through 
predation (Albins and Hixon 2008).  However, to understand the cumulative impact of lionfish on Caribbean coral reef fish 
communities, and set targets for lionfish population management, we must link the magnitude and rate of lionfish prey 
consumption to the production of their prey on invaded reefs.   
To meet these objectives, we synthesized data on invasive lionfish population parameters, bioenergetics and diet to 
created a probabilistic model (Vose 2008) of lionfish prey consumption on invaded reefs  and then compared these con-
sumption rates with estimates of production of their fish prey.  To parameterize our model, we collected data on prey-sized 
fish density, diversity and size distribution, and lionfish density, size distribution and diet collected from 13 invaded coral 
reef sites off the southwest coast of New Providence, Bahamas, from May through to September 2008.   
Our analyses reveal that invasive lionfish populations far exceed sustainable levels on the majority of the coral reefs we 
studied. Using our model to quantify the density of lionfish that could be sustained by their prey populations at each site 
revealed that most reefs require significant reduction in lionfish abundance and that ‘sustainable’ lionfish densities depend 
not only prey production rates, but on the size distribution of lionfish at each site.   
The main tool being considered by managers to control invasive lionfish population is manual removal by divers.  
However, the cryptic nature of lionfish may introduce challenges in effectively detecting their presence across the reefscape. 
In particular, there may be a bias towards detecting and removing only the largest size classes of lionfish inhabiting a reef 
area. We used our model to evaluate the effect of this potential size bias on the ability of removal efforts to keep lionfish 
abundances at sustainable levels.  Using data from a study site harbouring a high density of large lionfish (density: 344 ± 
164 lionfish/ha (mean ± SD); body mass: 296 ± 211 g/lionfish), we simulated our model for three removal scenarios.  We 
varied the smallest size class of lionfish detected and removed from 15cm, to 20cm, and 25 cm total length, respectively.  
To determine how the minimum size of lionfish removed affects the sustainability of the consumption by the remaining 
lionfish, we simulated the difference between annual prey consumption by lionfish and the annual production of their prey 
base for each scenario.  Results were only considered sustainable if the removal effort reduced annual prey consumption to 
a level equal to or less than annual prey production at the site. 
We found that targeting all individuals greater than 15cm, 20cm and 25cm total length would remove 89%, 87%, and 
79% of the population, respectively.  However, there were substantial differences in the sustainability of each removal 
scenario (Figure 1).  Our analyses revealed in two of the three scenarios, both targeting lionfish greater than 20cm and 25cm 
total length for removal, lionfish prey consumption was not reduced  to sustainable levels (i.e.  net annual biomass produc-
tion of their prey was less than zero).  However, our model revealed that removing all individuals greater than 15cm total 
length from the site reduced the consumption capacity of the remaining population to levels that were far surpassed by the 
production of their prey, and was therefore sustainable.  These results indicate that potential size selectivity in removal 
efforts can significantly affect the success of lionfish population management efforts.  Our model provides a method by 
which regional resource managers can assess the risk of local reef fish populations to lionfish predation, and set clear targets 
for control and management efforts on invaded Caribbean reefs.  
 
KEYWORDS: Lionfish, invasive species, predator, fish production  
 
Tasas de Consumo Potenciales del Pez León Invasor (Pterois volitans)  
en los Arrecifes de Coral del Caribe  
 
Desde el año 2004 cuando se registro la primera aparición del pez león (Pterois volitans) especie invasiva procedente del Indo-
Pacifico en los arrecifes de coral del Atlantico occidental, el pez león se ha extendido rápidamente en la cuenca del Caribe. Para entender 
el impacto de la depredación del pez león sobre la comunidad de peces en las Bahamas y para predecir los impactos potenciales sobre el 
mar del Caribe, creamos un modelo probabilístico de la tasa de consumo de presas por el pez león en 13 arrecifes invadidos en las 
Green, S.  and I. Côte  GCFI:62 (2010) Page  359    
 
Bahamas y comparamos estos valores con las estimaciones de las tasas de producción sus peces presa. Nuestro análisis revela que el 
pez león tiene la capacidad de consumir presas en los arrecifes con una tasa mayor a la que las que las poblaciones de peces de arrecife 
pueden recuperarse. Para fijar objetivos para la gestión, usamos el modelo para cuantificar las densidades de peces león que podrían 
mantener las tasas de producción de peces presa disponible en cada zona. Las densidades sostenibles estimadas no dependen solo de la 
tasa de producción de las presas sino también del tamaño de las distribuciones de los peces león que habitan en cada zona. Nuestro 
modelo proporciona una herramienta a los gestores de los recursos regionales para evaluar el riesgo de los peces león sobre las 
poblaciones de peces de arrecife locales y para establecer objetivos de control y esfuerzos de gestión.  
 
PALABRAS CLAVES: Especie invasiva, Pterois volitans, producción sus peces 
 
Consommation Potentielle du Rascasse Envahissant (Pterois volitans)  
Sur les Récifs De Corail Antillais 
 
D'abord annoncé des récifs de corail de l'Atlantique en 2004, le rascasse Indo-Pacifique (Pterois volitans) s'est étendu rapidement 
autour de la cuvette antillaise et est maintenant un des prédateurs les plus abondants de leur taille sur les récifs de corail envahis des 
Bahamas. Pour comprendre l'impact de la prédation par le rascasse sur les communautés de poisson natifs aux Bahamas et prédire leurs 
impacts potentiels au large des Caraïbes, nous avons synthétisé des données sur les paramètres démographiques de rascasse envahis-
sant, la bio-énergétique et l'alimentation pour créer un modèle probabilistique de consommation de proie de rascasse sur les récifs 
envahis et avons comparé ces taux de consommation aux estimations de production de leur poisson de proie. Pour paramétrer notre 
modèle, nous avons recueilli des données sur la densité du poisson de la taille de poisson proie, la diversité et la distribution de taille et 
la densité rascasse, la distribution de taille et l'alimentation recueilli de 13 sites de récif de corail envahis de la côte du sud-ouest de la 
Nouvelle Providence, Bahamas, de mai à septembre 2008. Nos analyses révèlent que le rascasse a le potentiel d'enlever la proie de 
nombreux récifs à un taux bien plus élevé que les populations de poissons de récif  peuvent se reconstituer. Nous avons utilisé aussi 
notre modèle pour quantifier la densité du rascasse qui pourrait être soutenue par la production de poissons de proie disponibles sur 
chaque site. Les densités de rascasse 'durable' dépend non seulement des taux de production de poisson, mais de la distribution de taille 
de rascasse sur chaque site. Notre modèle fournit une méthode par laquelle les directeurs de ressource régionaux peuvent évaluer le 
risque de la population locale de poissons de récif à la prédation du rascasse et fixent des objectifs clairs du point de vue de la densité 
du rascasse pour le contrôle et les efforts de gestion sur les récifs antillais envahis.  
 
MOTS CLÉS: Rascasse, espèces envahissantes, prédateur, production de poissons  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LITERATURE CITED 
Ablins, M.A. and M.A. Hixon. 2008. Invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans reduce recruitment of Atlantic coral-reef fishes. Marine Ecology 
Progress Series 367:233-238. 
Fishelson, L. 1997. Experiments and observations on food consumption, growth and starvation in Dendrochirus brachypterus and Pterois volitans 
(Pteroinae, Scorpaenidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 50(4):391-403. 
Freshwater, D.W. et al. 2009. Mitochondrial control region sequence analyses indicate dispersal from the US East Coast as the source of the invasive 
Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans in the Bahamas. Marine Biology 156(6):1213-1221. 
Morris, J.A., J.L. Akins, A. Barse, D. Cerino, D.W. Freshwater, S.J. Green, R.C. Muñoz, C. Paris, and P.E. Whitfield. 2009. The biology and ecology of 
invasive lionfish.  Proceedings of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute 61:409-414. 
REEF. 2009. Reef Environmental Education Foundation Volunteer Survey Project Database. www.reef.org. (01/11/2008).  
 
Figure 1.  Predicted net prey production (mean ± non-parametric bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals) under 
three removal scenarios: Removal of all lionfish greater than 15cm TL (a), 20cm TL (b), and 25cm TL (c).   


Consumption potential of invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans) on Caribbean coral reefs [Extended abstract]

http://aquaticcommons.org/15473/1/gcfi_62-54.pdf

Consumption potential of invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans) on Caribbean coral reefs [Extended abstract]

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