Red Lionfish a “Super-Invader” for Supper?

Co a s ta l He r i ta g e VOLUME 27, NUMBER 4 FALL 2013

Red Lionfish A “Super-Invader” for Supper?

Fa l l 2013 • 1 3 red lionfish: a “super-invader” for supper? The red lionfish is a “super-invasive” species that is taking over reef systems in the western Atlantic and Caribbean.

Coastal Science 13 Serving South Carolina CONCERNS OVER POTENTIAL ILLEGAL LIONFISH SALES Coastal Heritage is a quarterly publication of the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, a university- Who will eat all the lionfish? based network supporting research, education, and outreach to conserve coastal resources and enhance economic opportunity for the people 14 of South Carolina. Comments regarding this or future issues of Coastal Heritage are welcomed NEWS AND NOTES at [email protected]. Subscriptions • Growing higher-value oysters in Carolina waters are free upon request by contacting: • State park enhances rip-current awareness S.C. Sea Grant Consortium • S.C. Environmental Awareness Award call for nominations 287 Meeting Street Charleston, S.C. 29401 phone: (843) 953-2078 16 e-mail: [email protected] Ebbs and Flows Executive Director • American Meteorological Association 94th Annual Meeting M. Richard DeVoe • Social Coast Forum 2014 Director of Communications • 2014 Ocean Sciences Meeting Susan Ferris Hill Editor John H. Tibbetts Art Director Pam Hesse Pam Hesse Graphic Design  Board of Directors The Consortium’s Board of Directors is composed of the chief executive officers of its member institutions:

Dr. David A. DeCenzo, Chair President, Coastal Carolina University James F. Barker President, Clemson University Dr. P. George Benson President, College of Charleston Dr. Mark S. Sothmann Interim President, Medical University of South Carolina Col. Alvin A. Taylor Executive Director, S.C. Department of Natural Resources

ON THE COVER: Thomas J. Elzey President, S.C. State University Although the red lionfish is a beautiful creature, it’s the most invasive reef fish in the world. Lt. General John W. Rosa PHOTO/GRACE BEAHM President, The Citadel Dr. Harris Pastides COPYRIGHT © 2013 by the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium. All rights reserved. President, University of South Carolina

2 • Coa s ta l He r i t a g e PROLIFIC INTERLOPER. Red lionfish populations have become hugely abundant in biologically rich marine environments of the western Atlantic and Caribbean. graphic/dawn witherington/loxahatchee river district

Red Lionfish A “Super-Invader” for Supper?

by John H. Tibbetts

s your grouper local? Top back. Why? “By far, the lionfish is the most Ilowcountry chefs wish they could Could it have something to do invasive and aggressive reef fish on the say yes every time. They’d like to serve with the stunningly successful invasion planet,” says James A. Morris, an ecolo- grouper that’s right off the dock. But by the red lionfish,Pterois volitans? gist with the National Oceanic and the most sought-after reef fish often The red lionfish, a native of the Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) aren’t available from local waters. So Indo-Pacific region, has become an National Center for Coastal Fisheries chefs tend to acquire week-old grouper abundant top-level predator in the and Habitat Research laboratory in from the Gulf of Mexico or serve fresh western Atlantic and the Caribbean. Beaufort, North Carolina. but less-known substitutes such as On many reefs, lionfish outnumber It swallows crustaceans, juvenile triggerfish or tilefish. snappers, groupers, and other native predators, and small adult herbivores From the mid-1970s to the early predators. such as damselfish and parrotfish, 1990s, overfishing decimated commer- A gorgeous and graceful swimmer, consuming food that otherwise would cially valuable snapper-grouper stocks the lionfish is a modest-size animal, be available for mature groupers and from eastern Florida to the Carolinas. averaging only about a foot in length. snappers. In turn, fishery managers have crafted But it’s a “super-invasive” species, a In the Caribbean where coral increasingly tough restrictions in an perfect storm churning through bio- reefs are critical to fishing and tourism effort to restore those stocks to health. logically rich marine habitats across economies, the lionfish is feared as one Yet some fisheries haven’t bounced thousands of miles. of the most devastating invasive species

Fa l l 2013 • 3 Morris says. One reason for the lionfish’s success is its broad environmental tolerance, with the exception of cold temperature. It thrives from the warm, dark depths of the Gulf Stream off the Carolinas to the sun-lit seagrass beds, coral reefs, and mangroves of the tropics. Waders encounter them in knee-high water and submersibles have documented them nearly a thousand feet below the surface. A lionfish hunts primarily at dawn or dusk, stalking by camouflage. It drifts along like a clump of seaweed and then hovers motionless, its large pectoral fins arrayed like a cowl, above an unsuspecting animal. Sometimes the lionfish blows out a jet of water, disorienting its prey, which attempts to flee but instead swims toward the lionfish’s waiting mouth. When the lionfish strikes, it swallows prey whole in a single gulp. At other times it herds animals against a reef and suctions them in one by one. At mid-day, lionfish tend to rest This map indicates sites where red lionfish populations have been reported since in small groups beneath ledges, in holes the 1990s. North of Cape Hatteras, however, red lionfish do not survive cold or caves, or in reefs. Divers find lionfish winters and die before spawning. swimming upside-down, their white MAP/U.S. Geological survey, reef environmental education foundation, and bellies against a ledge roof, bright eyes national oceanic and atmospheric administration peering out of the dark. Many native prey species seem over the past century—in a special species. The lionfish, though, is the only unconcerned when they see a lionfish; class of notoriety with Asian carp, one to have become a major pest. they don’t swim off. That’s because no kudzu, and the zebra mussel. During the winter of 2000-2001, a native predator hunts like it. This naïve Yet the lionfish receives little public well-established lionfish population was fearlessness is often found on isolated attention in South Carolina where it discovered at a shipwreck off Beaufort, islands when a new predator is intro- inhabits ledges and rocky bottoms North Carolina, after their eggs and duced. On Guam, for instance, a offshore in the warm Gulf Stream. larvae were carried there by the Gulf venomous tree snake introduced in The first confirmed sighting of a Stream. the 1950s ravaged bird populations. lionfish in the western Atlantic was in NOAA scientists began tracking Native birds had never encountered a 1985 in waters off Palm Beach County its movements. In less than a decade, predatory snake and had not evolved in southeastern Florida. Over the next lionfish had spread to the Bahamas protective strategies against it. 15 years, the animal was spotted and the wider Caribbean, Georgia, and The lionfish will eat just about any infrequently. South Carolina. In the past few years, creature worth the effort. Studying South Florida is one of the world’s lionfish invaded the Florida Keys, the stomach contents of lionfish, scientists busiest shipping destinations and mar- Gulf of Mexico, and the reefs of north- have found more than 70 species. ketplaces for the marine ornamental western South America. Lionfish Mark Hixon, a marine biologist at aquarium trade. Brightly colored tropical populations have grown faster and Oregon State University, and his team and subtropical fish are especially prized. ranged farther than scientists had have found that a single lionfish can Evidence suggests that aquarium hobby- thought possible. reduce the number of individual fishes ists released individual lionfish into “No other nonnative marine fish on a small experimental reef by 79% in South Florida waters, a hotspot for has ever taken off in this way in the five weeks. One lionfish consumed 20 introductions of marine exotics with 40 western Atlantic and Caribbean,” small fish in 30 minutes.

4 • Coa s ta l He r i t a g e It’s surprising to find the word The vast majority of non-native and controlled with chemicals and “phenomenal” in a peer-reviewed species don’t last long. Against native other means. science journal. Yet that’s how two species, they quickly lose competitions Biological invaders are predators scientists describe the rate of expansion for food—or they become food for or competitors of half of the species on of lionfish populations in the western predators. U.S. threatened or endangered species Atlantic and Caribbean. Lionfish have If they do manage to gain a foot- lists. Damage and control costs for become so abundant that they will hold and reproduce, their populations invasive species in the United States almost certainly never be eliminated usually remain very small, kept in are estimated at $137 billion per year, from these regions, write Mark A. Albins, check by competitors or lack of food. according to a 2005 study by David now a postdoctoral fellow at Auburn But the non-natives that do be- Pimentel, an ecologist at Cornell University, and Hixon in a 2011 study. come biological invaders can cause vast University, and his colleagues. Consider the speed of the lionfish economic or ecological harm. Invasive The lionfish is exceptional in the invasion in the Florida Keys. species in the United States have annals of invasive species. It is the only Lionfish were first reported there devastated agricultural crops, endan- unintentionally introduced marine in 2009. By the end of 2010, researchers gered native tree species, and clogged carnivore to become a destructive estimated a population of 89,000 indi- water pipes. Non-native mosquitoes invader in the recorded history of viduals. A year later, estimates jumped and parasites are dangerous carriers of the western Atlantic Ocean and to 335,000 lionfish. And that’s probably human diseases such as malaria and Caribbean. a conservative estimate since lionfish yellow fever. Even so, fishermen, chefs, often hide in reefs, according to a 2012 In South Carolina, hydrilla, water recreational divers, educators, conser- study by Benjamin Ruttenberg, a biolo- hyacinth, Phragmites australis, and vationists, and scientists are finding gist with NOAA Fisheries, and his other invasive plants have damaged some success in the Bahamas, Mexico, colleagues. aquatic ecosystems but are monitored Cayman Islands, and the Florida Keys

LIONFISH EXPERT. James A. Morris of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration dissects a red lionfish and finds juvenile vermillion snapper (inset) in its stomach. Lionfish are consuming huge numbers of reef fish in the western Atlantic and Caribbean. PHOTOs/NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

Fa l l 2013 • 5 Caribbean, scientists design field experiments, dive often to study lionfish and their predators and prey, and observe interactions among them. That’s far more difficult in the Carolinas, where lionfish live in deeper water offshore. Scuba time, logistics, and financial budgets are limited for fieldwork there, according to Paula Whitfield, a research ecologist at the NOAA lab in Beaufort, North Carolina. Even so, dive surveys led by Whitfield show that lionfish populations range from 200-to-500 lionfish per 10,000 square meters on hard bottoms in waters off North Carolina. Native snapper-grouper species usually range from 78-to-300 fish for similar-size areas. ACROBATS. Asian silver carp have invaded the Mississippi River and its Natural variability in fishery tributaries, causing injury to anglers and disrupting river ecosystems. populations can be very wide, so it’s PHOTO/T. LAWRENCE/GREAT LAKES FISHERY COMMISSION difficult to measure the invader’s im- pact on fisheries. in efforts to decrease lionfish densities silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys moli- “We know a lot of things about at local sites. trix), caught in the Mississippi River the lionfish’s life history,” says Their strategy is straightforward— and its tributaries; and the northern Whitfield. “We know that lionfish are if you can’t get rid of an invasive species, snakehead fish Channa( argus) in the just as abundant as native species here, harvest a lot of them and eat them. Potomac River. if not more abundant. They are one of “That’s the best long-term strategy for the main fishes that we see in our controlling lionfish,” says Morris. A tasty invader offshore research, 100-plus feet down. Establishing a strong culinary mar- But we don’t know, without a shadow ket for lionfish could help manage its In the shallow, sunlit reefs of the of a doubt, the lionfish’s impacts on population and give native species a better chance to recover. So it’s up to the biggest predatory force in the ocean— Homo sapiens—to gobble up lionfish and help native groupers and snappers in some locations rebuild their numbers. Targeting invasive species for food is a growing trend among eco-con- scious folks. You’ve probably heard about locavores—people who eat products of local farms, ranches, and fisheries as often as possible. Now more and more people are calling themselves “invasivores,” a term that James Gorman, a science writer for the New York Times, apparently invent- ed in 2010. Invasivores, for instance, are NON-NATIVE. Ryan Werner, a charter-boat captain, caught this nearly cooking non-native tiger shrimp foot-long Asian tiger shrimp in Little River Inlet in 2011. “It tasted more like a (Penaeus monodon) caught in the Gulf southern [spiny] lobster—firm and kind of stringy—than a local white shrimp,” of Mexico; various species of Asian he says. carp, especially the notorious leaping PHOTO/RYAN WERNER

6 • Coa s ta l He r i t a g e can sell lionfish at $10 apiece directly to restaurants or to a wholesaler. Harvesters and cooks should take care when handling lionfish. Its venomous spines give a nasty sting. A single prick can cause swelling and intense pain. In a small number of cases it has caused temporary paralysis. The lionfish’s quills, though, are easy to cut away if you use appropriate gloves and other precautions. A lionfish filet, which is free of venom, is similar in yield to that of a grouper or snapper of the same size. A bigger lionfish can be fileted, but smaller ones are often fried whole. Ounce-for-ounce, lionfish is expensive, though popular with customers, according to Drew Hedlund, executive chef at Fleet Landing restaurant on Charleston Harbor. He acquires lionfish from a seafood packer who buys them from commercial fishing boats at the Murrells Inlet docks. The largest and most consistent volume of lionfish in South Carolina is landed as bycatch in the snapper- grouper fishery. “Some days three lionfish will roll in the backdoor, and another day 50 will come in.” His customers seem intrigued by The red lionfish’s venomous spines can cause swelling, intense pain, and even the lionfish story. “We explain that temporary paralysis. GRAPHIC/LINDSAY DUBOIS/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL Handle with Care snapper-grouper fisheries.” 200 lionfish, Depuis says. Victor Depuis, co-owner of Four divers can spear 120-to-150 Watch out for lionfish’s venomous Lowcountry Scuba on Shem Creek in on the first dive of the day. (No bag dorsal, pelvic, and anal spines. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, says limit exists on lionfish.) On a similar Unless a person is allergic to the that he’s seen first-hand evidence that site a decade ago there would have venom, lionfish P.( volitans) stings lionfish are taking over snapper-grouper been only three or four lionfish in total, are not fatal. Stings, though, can habitat. He leads recreational divers on he says, and the rest would be snapper- be very painful, cause numbness, spearfishing trips to offshore rocks and grouper species. swelling, and even temporary paralysis. plateaus. If divers don’t kill all of the lionfish The National Oceanic and Ten years ago, groupers, snappers, at a site and return a week later, they Atmospheric Administration triggerfish, and black sea bass domi- will probably find dozens of lionfish (NOAA) recommends treating nated spearfishing sites, he says. Today, there again. “It’ll look like you haven’t a lionfish puncture wound by there appears to be a similarly sized touched it,” Depuis says. immersing the wound area in hot biomass, but lionfish far outnumber Guiding up to 60 dive excursions (not scalding) water for 30-to-90 snapper-grouper species. a year, he’s turned lionfish overabun- minutes and to seek medical On a typical spearfishing site of, dance into a business opportunity. He attention as soon as possible. The say, an acre with four-foot relief at purchases harvests from his diving Poison Help Hotline, (800) 222-1222, 85-to-130 feet deep about 30 miles customers at $5 apiece. Because he has is available 24-hours a day, every day. offshore, divers in 2013 are likely to see a commercial distribution license, he

Fa l l 2013 • 7 lionfish larvae emerge, ocean currents disperse them for 20-to-40 days until they are juveniles. Ocean currents have carried lionfish larvae from the Bahamas to New England, though the young don’t survive the winter there. An adult lionfish lives as long as 15 years, continuously reproducing. In its lifetime, a female lionfish will release two million eggs each year. Its long life span, frequent and productive spawning, and capacity to disperse larvae great distances have allowed the lionfish to spread with incredible speed. By contrast, many native reef fish are late bloomers or require special conditions in which to spawn. For example, Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) was once a heavily overfished species in the western TRENDSETTER. Brian Barber, sous chef at Fleet Landing, a waterfront Atlantic and Caribbean. It spawns only restaurant in Charleston, prepares a South Carolina-caught lionfish for a in December and January, always in lunchtime crowd. Lionfish has become an increasingly popular delicacy, he says. the light of the full moon, and always PHOTO/GRACE BEAHM in the same locations. When huge numbers of Nassau grouper would we’re trying to get lionfish off the reefs,” The protective sac, which looks like a gather under a brilliant night sky, they says Hedlund. “Lionfish are eating comb jelly, is hollow. The male fertil- were easy targets for fishing operations. young snapper and grouper, and they izes the eggs through an opening in Because too many spawning adults don’t belong here. So we’re combatting the casing, allowing sperm to find eggs were harvested year after year, the them.” more easily instead of searching for fishery collapsed. Nassau grouper is His “eat lionfish to save snappers them in a water column subject to now considered a “species of concern,” and groupers” story allows Fleet shifting currents. in the U.S. South Atlantic, meaning Landing to stand out as an innovator When the casing dissolves and that it’s in critically low numbers, in Charleston’s intensely competitive culinary marketplace.

The super invader

Reproduce early and often and then disperse offspring far and wide— that’s how some non-natives become biological invaders. At one year of age, lionfish are sexually mature, spawning several times a month and in every season. The great majority of fish species fertilize eggs externally. That is, the female fish expels eggs into the water column, and the male expels sperm toward the eggs to fertilize them. Lionfish spawn externally as well, but with a crucial difference. During each spawning event, the female lionfish releases two gelatinous, mucous FLAVORFUL. Diners say they enjoy lionfish’s firm, creamy filets. sacs, each holding thousands of eggs. PHOTO/GRACE BEAHM

8 • Coa s ta l He r i t a g e Life Cycle of the Lionfish

Eggs, 15,000–30,000 Larval stage, 20–40 days Juvenile, up to 10 mos. Reproductive adult, 1 yr. per spawning event less than 2 cm (0.8 in.) 2–10 cm (0.8–4 in.) greater than 10 cm (4 in.)

Every 1–2 weeks the female Approximately 36 hours later, Juveniles spend most of their Although lionfish in their native releases two mucous-encap- the eggs hatch into larvae, time in one small area before range can live to 15 years, little sulated egg masses that are which are dispersed by ocean expanding their range. is known about the lifespans of fertilized by the male. currents. Atlantic invaders.

GRAPHIC/DAWN WITHERINGTON/LOXAHATCHEE RIVER DISTRICT though not considered threatened There are 73 species in this collaborates with Ballenger. Over three or endangered. But Nassau grouper region’s reef-fish populations: snappers years, 2010-to-2012, baited traps have is listed as threatened by the International and groupers, of course, but also por- caught a total of just three lionfish off Union of the Conservation of Nature, gies, triggerfish, jacks, tilefishes, grunts, South Carolina. a global environmental group, and it spadefishes, wrasses, and sea basses. The majority of the lionfish is also a protected species in the state Roger Pugliese, a biologist with population off the Carolinas appears of Florida. SAFMC, says that commercial and to be living below 150 feet where Since the early 1990s, the South recreational fishermen can “take as temperatures are more stable, but that’s Atlantic Fishery Management Council many lionfish as they want” with spears also the depth boundary for safe diving. (SAFMC) has been trying to restore and nets, although fish traps, which Localized spearfishing in marine- populations of overharvested reef inadvertently catch snapper-grouper protected areas and other sites can fisheries such as red snapper, Warsaw species, are off-limits. greatly reduce lionfish numbers there, grouper, misty grouper, Nassau grouper, The council monitors lionfish says Pugliese, but deep-water popula- and others. populations in part through a federally tion reservoirs can allow lionfish to The council has instituted trip funded but state-managed Marine reproduce and re-invade. limits, species limits, size limits, gear Resources Monitoring, Assessment, Lionfish don’t venture into South regulations, seasonal closures, total- and Prediction (MARMAP) program. Carolina’s state waters, which extend to allowable-catch limits, a commercial Joseph Ballenger, MARMAP three miles off the coast. Some snapper- limited-entry program for some species, coordinator at the S.C. Department of grouper species, however, do spend and quotas. The council also designed Natural Resources, and his colleagues some of their life history in state-man- new marine-protected areas in the spend 50-to-70 days a year from April aged estuaries. region from the Carolinas to eastern to October at sea, deploying fish traps “Lionfish is not a state waters’ Florida. outfitted with deep-water cameras to issue, and I hope it stays that way,” The reauthorization of the sea bottoms some 30-to-70 miles says Mel Bell, director of the Office of Magnuson-Stevens Act in 2007 re- offshore. Fisheries Management at the South quired NOAA and regional fishery Scientists had once hoped that Carolina Department of Natural councils to work further together on lionfish populations could be controlled Resources (SCDNR). “Our state waters annual catch limits for every federally in part by a profitable commercial are a little too cool for them. But we managed fish species, which now fishery using baited traps. do have a stake in fisheries in federal number more than 500. But that optimism is fading, says waters, especially recreational snapper- Over the past two years, the Ballenger. grouper, so we would like for those SAFMC has developed some of the Although attracted by bait, many lionfish to be gone.” toughest regulations in its history, lionfish will swim “like little hover- At maturity, snappers and groupers closing shallow-water grouper fisheries crafts” above the traps, refusing to are top reef predators, competing with during the first four months of each enter, says Dawn Glasgow, a Ph.D. lionfish for food and shelter. The reef year and instituting severe limits for candidate in integrative biology at the food chain is complex, but bigger numerous species. University of South Carolina, who carnivorous fish, of course, tend to eat

Fa l l 2013 • 9 non-native species chances to flourish and become pests. The more disturbed an ecosystem becomes, the greater the likelihood that a non-native species can enter a vacated ecological niche and take it over, scientists say. Some snapper-grouper species in the U.S. southeastern Atlantic were severely overfished, a major disturbance that, among other pressures, could have allowed the lionfish to thrive. “There was certainly more opportunity for niche availability and niche takeover” because of overfishing, says James A. Morris of NOAA in Beaufort, North Carolina. An important question now is the degree to which the lionfish invasion NEAR RECORD. This lionfish, caught in South Carolina waters, measured could affect the future of snapper-grou- 17 inches. The world record is 18.5 inches. per fisheries. The invasion might pre- PHOTO/GRACE BEAHM vent some fishes from regaining their niches. smaller ones. and Caribbean. Perhaps that’s why “Can you rebuild stocks to the In lab experiments, though, some New World prey won’t swim away when same size that you could before the adult snapper-grouper species would they see lionfish, offering this invader lionfish takeover?” asks Morris. “That’s rather go hungry than attack lionfish many easy pickings. a 20-to-30 year question. If stock-re- and risk tangling with its venomous building plans are unsuccessful, will it spines. What instigated the be because lionfish have inhibited their Nassau grouper, moreover, could invasion? recovery?” be losing habitat to the fiercely ter ritorial lionfish. In an Oregon State Hundreds of non-native species— What to do University study, Nassau grouper would most of them tiny worms or crusta- swim away from shelter if lionfish were ceans—found in U.S. coastal waters Wind-swept Carteret County, present. haven’t caused any evident harm or North Carolina, is a maritime wonder- “The lionfish seems to have a concern and perhaps never will. Yet land bounded by bays, coastal rivers, lot of confidence in its venom,” says other species suddenly grow out of creeks, inlets, and the sea. In June Christie Wilcox, a science blogger and control and become pests. 2013, it was home to the “If You Can’t Ph.D. candidate studying fish genetics David Knott, a Charleston-based Beat ‘Em, Eat ‘Em” Spearfishing at the University of Hawaii. “When consulting biologist for natural-resource Tournament, a 10-day derby in which confronted with a threat, it doesn’t agencies, has documented more than divers competed for prizes while chefs swim away but instead turns and faces 60 non-native invertebrate species in prepared the invaders for feasts. it head on, nose down, bringing its South Carolina freshwater and saltwa- Lionfish derbies have become venomous dorsal spines forward, sort of ter ecosystems. popular social events across the like a bull pointing its horns as if to say, “Knowing which species are likely Caribbean and South Florida, helping ‘Go ahead, I dare you.’ ” to become invasive is very difficult,” to raise awareness of the invasion and What keeps lionfish in control in says Knott. “Different risk analyses its consequences. But this was the first their native range? About 15 lionfish have been done. But we don’t really one in North Carolina. species inhabit the Indo-Pacific. As a study the potential local impacts of a “Many sport fishermen don’t result, prey species encounter them non-native species until it has already even realize that the lionfish are out more often and learn to avoid them. By become invasive.” there,” says Debby Boyce, manager of contrast, only two lionfish species—the Decades of research show that a Discovery Diving in Beaufort, North red lionfish and a far smaller number of significant “disturbance”—a dramatic Carolina, who helped organize the a sister invasive lionfish species P.( change such as overfishing, climate event. “If you don’t dive, you probably miles) —inhabit the western Atlantic change, or pollution—can offer some won’t see them. But they’re everywhere.”

10 • Coa s ta l He r i t a g e which of three common techniques— short-term derbies, trapping, and continuous harvesting—is the most effective under various conditions. How do lionfish populations respond to intensive, local fishing efforts that use different harvesting techniques? How quickly do lionfish repopulate an area after being removed? Do native fish recolonize areas once lionfish are removed? How many tar- geted efforts would be needed each year to keep invaders under control? “We might find that there are regional differences and that what works in, say, Puerto Rico reefs to control lionfish might only be applicable there,” says Maia Patterson FACT FINDER. Stephanie Green, a marine ecologist and postdoctoral fellow McGuire, a Florida Sea Grant exten- at Oregon State University, collects data on lionfish during the REEF Lionfish sion agent specializing in invasive Derby at Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas, in 2013. species. “These research projects are not PHOTO/REEF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION designed to come up with the ultimate answer for the entire Atlantic. But if we Steve Broadhurst, a dive safety sort of information they are collecting. start seeing some consistency among officer with the North Carolina We can also dissect the fish and analyze findings in different locations, we might Aquarium in Pine Knolls, says that stomach contents, so we can understand be able to make some broadly applicable lionfish are found there in depths of what lionfish are eating.” management recommendations.” 100-to-150 feet and about 30 miles Sea Grant-funded researchers in All this begs the question of what offshore. the U.S. Southeast and the Caribbean to do with the removed lionfish. If the “In the water they are quick and are studying lionfish-removal tech- answer is to eat them, then who will agile,” Broadhurst says. “But they often niques at various sites, hoping to learn do the eating? Is there a culinary do a hiding-in-plain-sight thing. They go to the bottom where they are easy to spear. They must depend on their protective coloring or their venom because they don’t swim away after being speared once and wriggling off the spear. They stay on the bottom to be speared again—and again and again. It’s like picking up trash in the park.” Researchers are gathering data from lionfish derbies from North Carolina to the Caribbean. “We’re interested in understanding the relative abundance of lionfish, and we can measure that in part by lionfish hunting efforts,” says Whitfield of the NOAA lab in Beaufort, North Carolina. “We can quantify the efforts the divers have to undergo getting the lionfish. We can get a lot of biological HARVEST WITH CARE. Gregg Waugh, a fishery biologist and president of information from the lionfish specimens SafeSpear LLC, markets specialized safety items, including puncture-resistant and divers. We can learn how long the gloves, for lionfish harvesters. divers are staying under water and what PHOTO/GRACE BEAHM

Fa l l 2013 • 11 market large enough to knock back lionfish populations? Harvesters must take more than one-quarter of the mature lionfish population each month on any particular site—a reef, shipwreck, or marine protected area—just to keep it from growing out of control, studies show. Yet the culinary market for lionfish in the Carolinas is very small, although diners say they like it once they taste it, comparing it favorably to triggerfish and black sea bass. “Lionfish will be a boutique item” for restaurants, says Gregg Waugh, a fishery biologist and president of SafeSpear LLC, which markets safe- harvest items for lionfish—specialized spears, puncture- and water-resistant SAFETY FIRST. A lionfish’s venomous spines are easy to cut away, but always bags, puncture-resistant gloves, and take suitable precautions when harvesting and cleaning them. spine clippers—to be used by fisher- PHOTO/GRACE BEAHM men, researchers, fishery managers, and non-governmental organizations. gerfish accepted,” says Debby Boyce of other strategies, we can keep its popula- “That you can eat it whole adds Discovery Diving. “Lionfish could be tions lower.” to the appeal of lionfish,” says Waugh. the new triggerfish.” “People go ga-ga when they see it The nonprofit Reef Environmental whole. We also want to get the com- Education Foundation (REEF) has otential impacts by the mercial guys to target lionfish. And published a lionfish cookbook in an PIndo-Pacific red lionfish, once we turn more recreational people effort to show fishermen and chefs how Pterois volitans, and far smaller onto it, they’ll eat it too.” to clean and prepare the region’s new numbers of a sister species, P. Today, a small number of seafood tasty delicacy. miles, in U.S. South Atlantic chefs tout triggerfish, which harvesters In Florida, officials are so eager waters include:

used to throw back as “trash fish.” to get rid of lionfish that they have • reduction of forage-fish biomass; “It took 10-to-15 years to get trig- dropped recreational harvesting rules. • increase in algal growth due to In 2013 the Florida Fish and Wildlife herbivore removal; Conservation Commission suspended • competition with native reef license requirements for recreational fish; fishermen targeting lionfish if they used • cascading trophic impacts on certain equipment, including a pole economically important species spear, a Hawaiian Sling, a handheld under federal management; net, or any spearing device that is • competition with native species specifically designed and marketed could hamper stock rebuilding exclusively for lionfish. efforts for the 73 snapper- Even so, expect this hardy, aggres- grouper species; sive, competitive, and exceptionally • impacts on commercial and propagative species to continue ex- recreational fisheries, the panding its population and territory. aquarium trade, and coastal “The lionfish,” says Whitfield of tourism industry; and NOAA, “is the perfect little survivalist. • increase in frequency of venom It has become part of the Atlantic stings to recreational swimmers, community. The question is, will it just fishermen, and divers. A lionfish cookbook is available be a part of the community or take for purchase at www.reef.org/ over the community? If people have catalog Source: South Atlantic Fishery IMAGE/REEF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION anything to say about it, it won’t take Management Council foundation over. With fishing, and with perhaps

12 • Coa s ta l He r i t a g e Concerns over potential illegal lionfish sales

ionfish P.( volitans) caught in the ized by conventional cooking. only from licensed vendors and dis- Lwaters of the Carolinas, Georgia, Ciguatera toxin can cause particular tributors. But there has always been a and eastern Florida is safe to eat if gastrointestinal and neurological symp- “back door” illegal market in fish that’s properly prepared. But Steve Otwell, toms that in some cases have been very difficult to enforce. seafood specialist with Florida Sea reported to last for weeks to months. “All of a sudden, everybody’s trying Grant, is worried that someday illegal There are no known cases of to catch lionfish,” says Otwell, “and you trading in lionfish could bring poten- ciguatera poisoning from consuming could have roadside vendors selling tially unsafe lionfish to the region. snapper-grouper species in South Carolina, them.” The South Carolina Depart Now to be clear—Otwell is not Georgia, or eastern Florida. Ciguatera ment of Natural Resources (SCDNR) worried about lionfish venom harming toxin in these waters is very rare. tracks landings of marine fish caught in consumers. Properly prepared lionfish But rapidly expanding recreational South Carolina for commercial pur- harvested from Florida to North catches of lionfish in the Caribbean poses in the state. Carolina is safe to eat. might help stimulate illegal distribu- “If the system works correctly, and But U.S. consumers someday tion channels into U.S. seafood people abide by existing laws, all lion- could be exposed to ciguatera toxin in markets. Unscrupulous activities could fish that are landed for commercial lionfish harvested from certain regions involve selling of recreational catches purpose in South Carolina would be in the Caribbean and sold illegally in or misidentification for the original tracked by our office,” says Mel Hall, the United States. source or area of harvest. director of SCDNR Office of Fisheries Ciguatera is a foodborne illness Commercial fishermen and man- Management. “There have been ‘back caused by eating certain reef fish agers in the Caribbean generally know door’ approaches to getting all sorts of whose flesh is contaminated with toxin the locations of ciguatera toxin in the fish to restaurants, but under current produced by algae most commonly region and avoid those areas. law these are illegal, and if uncovered found in certain tropical and sub More and more recreational can be dealt with.” tropical waters in the Caribbean. fishermen, however, are harvesting It’s possible that some lionfish Some reef-fish species, including growing volumes of lionfish, and they could be sent north from the snappers and groupers and lionfish, could be tempted to make illegal gains Caribbean as part of an illegal have been known to carry ciguatera through a black market. market that does not provide crucial toxin. Odorless, tasteless, and very Restaurants and other seafood information about where the fish heat-resistant, this toxin is not neutral- outlets are required to purchase fish comes from.

Reading and Websites

Albins, Mark A. and Mark A. Hixon. Invasivore: Eat Invasive Species. Reef Environmental Education Foundation. “Worst case scenario: potential long-term www.invasivore.org www.reef.org effects of invasive predatory lionfish (Pterois volitans) on Atlantic and Carib- Morris, James A., Jr., Ed. Invasive South Atlantic Fishery Management bean coral-reef communities.” Environ- Lionfish: A Guide to Control and Manage- Council. mental Biology of Fishes, April 2011. ment. Marathon, Florida: Gulf and www.safmc.net Caribbean Fisheries Institute Special Burdick, Alan. Out of Eden: An Odyssey of Publication Series Number 1, 2012. South Carolina Department of Natural Ecological Invasion. New York: Farrar, Resources Aquatic Nuisance Species Straus & Giroux, 2005. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Program. Administration Center for Coastal www.dnr.sc.gov/water/envaff/aquatic Florida Sea Grant. Fisheries and Habitat Research. www.flseagrant.org www.coastalscience.noaa.gov/about U.S. Department of Agriculture National Invasive Species Information Center. Gorman, James. “A Diet for an Invaded Pimentel, David and others. “Update on www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov Planet: Invasive Species,” New York the environmental and economic costs Times, December 31, 2010. associated with alien-invasive species in www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/ the United States,” Ecological Econom- weekinreview/02gorman.html?_r=0 ics, February, 2005.

Fa l l 2013 • 13 various techniques to cultivate seafood a more desirable shape (wider shell, Growing higher-value products in saltwater. Off-bottom deeper cup), they require space. So oysters in Carolina oyster farming is mariculture and researchers and oyster farmers have waters typically uses single-set oysters pro- devised various methods to allow duced in a hatchery as seed. them to do just that. South Carolina’s oysters are rich Hatchery-raised seed helps give For example, oyster farmers in in flavor, tasting of the sea, and many the oyster a beautiful shape at the some regions of the country raise are harvested from the wild in clusters beginning. The oyster will maintain oyster seed in cages that are periodi- and served up at oyster roasts. that shape, including the coveted deep cally raised out of the water to air dry. But new opportunities could be cup, until harvest, as long as its grow- Large seed can withstand the air-dry- expanded for farm-raised single oysters ing conditions are not too crowded. ing by clamping shut. But when in the premium half-shell market. younger, newly settled fouling animals Farming oysters using off-bottom such as barnacles are deprived of water, methods—growing them in mesh those animals die. containers raised off the seabed—can “They might be out of the water produce larger numbers of the high- for 18-to-20 hours,” says Davis. “This value “single” oyster sought by local reduces fouling on the cage and on the chefs. oysters. Reduced fouling gives the seed South Carolina growers could more space to grow when the cage grow a nicely shaped, consistent prod- is dropped into the water again.” uct with off-bottom methods, which Preventing growth of other animals on would allow them to break into more the oysters is key to growing a nicely lucrative niche markets, says Julie shaped oyster and keeping labor costs Davis, living marine resources special- Oyster seeds to be grown on optimum sites for low. high-end markets. ist with the S.C. Sea Grant Extension PHOTO/JULIE DAVIS/S.C. SEA GRANT EXTENSION PROGRAM Today, oyster farmers in many Program. regions around the world are using “Oysters are widespread and High-end restaurants serving various off-bottom methods to reduce abundant over the South Carolina oysters raw on the half-shell are look- fouling and grow steady supplies of coast,” Davis says. “But as far as opti- ing for consistent supplies of nicely premium oysters for the lucrative mal sites for growing premium oysters shaped oysters. high-end restaurant market. using off-bottom methods, we’re at the “People eat with their eyes,” says “We need to find the most suitable beginning. This could be an entrepre- Davis. “If you’re paying a premium for methods and locations to grow South neurial opportunity for people living an oyster in a restaurant, you’re inter- Carolina oysters for the half-shell on the coast, including those already ested in food presentation and the market,” says Davis. “There are many involved in the shellfish industry.” dining experience. You’re looking different types of gear available, so we South Carolina has many natu- for pretty oysters.” don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Let’s rally rich, healthy habitats for oysters. The abundance of oyster spat in test the gear that others have used Oyster farmers acquire a permit to use South Carolina’s coastal waters results successfully.” some bottom areas and harvest oysters in oyster clusters and few naturally Oyster farmers need detailed from the seabed, primarily as clusters. occurring single oysters. Oyster larvae, information about new oyster-farming Later, oyster farmers spread shell in barnacles, and algae attach to older methods before investing in expensive those areas, ensuring that the next shells on existing reefs creating the seed and gear. So Davis and her col- generations of bivalves will have a clusters of oysters that we enjoy. But leagues aim to identify optimal sites to hard surface upon which to grow. that also causes crowding on the reef, grow out oyster seed along the South Other areas are permitted espe- which creates long, skinny oysters. Carolina coast. Then they will install cially for mariculture, which employs For individual oysters to achieve off-bottom technologies with oyster

14 • Coa s ta l He r i t a g e seed of various ages to study their rip-current educational materials, survival and growth rate. This will including a public talk for park guests S.C. Environmental help determine future costs of produc- and community members, and a fol- Awareness Award call tion for oyster farmers. low-up training session for ranger staff. for nominations For more information about this In his public talk, Slattery ex- or other fisheries- and aquaculture- plained to beachgoers how to recog- The S.C. Environmental related projects, contact Julie Davis at nize and avoid rip currents. Awareness Award committee is seek- (843) 255-6060 ext. 112 or julie.davis@ “I tell beachgoers to look for ing nominations for the 2013 award. scseagrant.org. features that can generate rip cur- The deadline for nominations is rents,” says Slattery. “For instance, any January 31, 2014. structures that are perpendicular to State park enhances the coast (groins, jetties, and piers) rip-current awareness frequently have rip currents form right alongside them. Also, a sandbar run- Rip currents remain a threat for ning parallel to the coast might not be beachgoers at the South Carolina solid. It might have channels that cut coast, but now Hunting Island State through the bar. At low points in the Park is taking steps to enhance safety bar, rip currents are common. If you for their guests. can avoid these physical structures, you Michael Slattery, the S.C. Sea can avoid most rip currents.” Grant Consortium’s coastal processes Slattery recommends using polar- extension specialist based at Coastal ized sunglasses to increase your chanc- Carolina University, has developed es of seeing both the sandbar and any The S.C. General Assembly channels through the bar that may established the award, now in its 21st have a strong rip current. year, during the 1992 legislative session In his training sessions at Hunting to recognize outstanding contributions Island State Park, Slattery described made toward the protection, conserva- how rangers could educate the public tion, and improvement of South about rip currents and what their role Carolina’s natural resources. should be in case of a rip-current emer- Each year the public is invited gency. The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium to submit nominations that are then has provided rip-current signage for reviewed by an award committee, each of Hunting Island’s beach access which considers excellence in innova- locations and many other locations tion, leadership, and accomplishments along the South Carolina coast. that influence positive changes. Slattery will continue offering Members of the award committee public seminars at Hunting Island include representatives of the S.C. Sea State Park in 2014. He will also offer Grant Consortium, S.C. Department further training to rangers so they can of Natural Resources, S.C. Department provide public educational talks on a of Health and Environmental Control, more regular basis. and the S.C. Forestry Commission. For more information about rip More information, including currents or these educational opportu- guidelines, criteria, past recipients, nities, contact Michael Slattery at and a nomination form, is available (843) 349-4155 or mslattery@coastal. at www.dnr.sc.gov/news/scenviron edu. awareaward.html.

Fa l l 2013 • 15 NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. Postage Paid Charleston, SC Coastal Science PERMIT #248 Serving South Carolina 287 Meeting Street Charleston, S.C. 29401

Coastal Heritage is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. www.scseagrant.org

American Meteorologi- Social Coast Forum 2014 Ocean Sciences cal Association 94th 2014 Meeting Annual Meeting Charleston, South Carolina Honolulu, Hawaii Atlanta, Georgia February 18-20, 2014 February 23-28, 2014 February 2-6, 2014 The NOAA Coastal Services The 2014 Ocean Sciences This year’s theme is “Extreme Center is hosting the second biennial Meeting is an important venue for Weather—Climate and the Built Social Coast Forum to see and share scientific exchange across marine- Environment: New Perspectives how social-science tools and methods science disciplines. Increasing evidence Opportunities, and Tools.” The meet- are being used to address the nation’s of multiple human impacts on the ing will bring together an interdisci- coastal issues. oceans makes this is a critical time for plinary group of scholars, technologists, Participants will discuss the use the largest international assembly of communicators, educators, and stake- of social-science tools, data, and ocean scientists, engineers, students, holders. Extreme weather and climate methods to address topics such as educators, policy makers, and other events represent an intersection that climate change, land-use planning, stakeholders to gather and share their combines scientific inquiry, technologi- ecosystem services, and human uses results on research, application of cal advances, societal implications, and of the oceans. research, and education. For more public awareness. For more informa- Visit www.csc.noaa.gov/ information, visit www.sgmeet.com/ tion, visit annual.ametsoc.org/2014. socialcoastforum for more information. osm2014.

Subscriptions are free upon request by contacting: [email protected]

ATTENTION SCHOOL TEACHERS! The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium has designed supplemental classroom resources for this and past issues of Coastal Heritage magazine. Coastal Heritage Curriculum Connection, written for K-12 educators and their students, is aligned with the South Carolina state standards for the appropriate grade levels. Includes standards-based inquiry questions to lead students through explorations of the topic discussed. Curriculum Connection is available online at www.scseagrant.org/education.

16 • Coa s ta l He r i t a g e