BREVARD COUNTY, Fla.,None — A poisonous fish has invaded the ocean along the coast of Central Florida. The lionfish is popular for aquariums. They're supposed to be in the Pacific Ocean, but they've been invading the Atlantic and the Intracoastal Waterway, and several were just caught in Brevard County.
With its mane of fins, the lionfish can steal your attention for hours, but now some researchers are worried the exotic fish will start robbing the Indian River Lagoon of its native marine life.
"They've never actually been reported inland in the estuaries," Florida Tech grad student Matt Wittenrich said.
Florida Tech graduate students found six lionfish while snorkeling in the Sebastian Inlet earlier this week.
The fish are native to waters off Asia and can grow to more than a foot in length. They tend to hide under rocks and generally are not aggressive. Researchers believe they have been living offshore in water 50 feet or deeper for 15 years, but this is the first time they have been spotted in the Intracoastal so far north.
"To make that jump from the offshore to the inshore regions, that's a jump," Florida Tech grad student Matt Scripter said.
The spiny fins on their back carry a venom-filled spike that will cause a painful sting.
"It lasts about 20 or 30 minutes, but if you run it under scalding hot water it generally dissipates the pain," Wittenrich said.
But researchers say the biggest threat the invasive species pose is to other marine life.
"These fish eat a lot of the smaller fish, the grouper, snapper," Scripter said.
How well they thrive in Central Florida waters remains to be seen. They have no natural predator and researchers fear, now that they are here, they are here to stay.
In the Bahamas, to try to cut the population, the lionfish is considered open game; people are catching and eating them. The meat is not poisonous; you just have to be careful not to poke yourself with the fins.
WFTV
