The Invasion of The Lionfish and Its Venom

During the year 2005, many scientist discovered large amounts of lionfish, but they didn’t pay much attention. The next years, scientists started to see more, but this time they’re so many of them around eating other fish. Lionfish are indigenous to the Indian and Pacific oceans. But after Hurricane Andrew, they can be found in the Eastern seaboard and throughout the Caribbean. But the largest colonies are found in the Bahamas. 

Many scientists believe that the only way to slow down the spread of lionfish is to catch them and cook them because predators and parasites don’t know they can eat lionfish. While the fish are considered a fineness in Asia, in the Bahamas they are not welcome. The local government is making efforts to teach people how to cook them, to finally put end to the spread of lionfish. 

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Everything about the dangerous lionfish yells, “Don’t become into contact with it!” The spine of the lionfish delivers a venomous sting; its venom glands are located inside two long, narrow cuts in the spine. If one stings you, you need to seek medical attention right away. A sting can be painful and it can cause breathing problems, but is not fatal.

Lionfish can grow to about 16 inches in length, but in rare cases they can reach one foot in length. Lionfish eat mainly shrimp and fish.

These fish are a popular dish in many parts of the world, but they more fun to have inside your aquarium. Their population numbers are increasing and they are growing in large quantities, causing some problems in the United States because the species present environmental dangers by killing large amount of other fish species.