Philipsburg:--- It appears as if the invasion of the venomous Lionfish is on the rise. The Nature Foundation has been busy responding to every reported sighting of lionfish in St. Maarten waters after the first specimen was captured on July 24th. "We have one additional specimen that was captured on the Fu Sheng wreck on Monday and reports of three additional specimens, including one at Divi Little Bay and by the Simpson Bay Bridge reported to us by fishermen. These two sightings are a little more alarming as they were reported in very shallow water and can pose a threat to swimmers and bathers. They are also different species to the one that was captured on the 24th. The ones we are collecting now are the red lionfish, which is more aggressive and breeds much more prolifically than the black lionfish which we caught last week," commented Tadzio Bervoets, Nature Foundation manager.Nature Foundation staff are attempting to collect the specimen reported at Divi Little Bay and will continue to monitor for any additional specimens. If a lionfish is seen the general public is urged to report the location and activity while the lionfish was spotted to the Nature Foundation at 5444267 or on 5270490.
Lionfish were introduced by humans through the aquarium trade and can inflict a venomous sting that can be harmful to humans. They also voraciously eat the juveniles of many ecologically and economically important fish species including snapper and grouper. "The main challenge that we face now is the lack of legislation which would make the controlling of the infestation much easier. If we had the Marine Park Ordinance in place we would have more resources, including international help, to combat the infestation. But because we are lacking legal backing we have to struggle to control this issue, in additional to all the other issues, which our marine ecosystem is facing," concluded Bervoets.
