Abstract

During the first two years (2013 - 2015) of the lionfish invasion in Trinidad and Tobago, a culling programme was implemented, with collections occurring at monthly intervals. Lionfish were captured, and comparisons were made of the length-weight relationship (LWR), size modality, population densities and sex ratio of the sub-populations determined at different localities around the island. One thousand and eighty-six (1086) lionfish were collected with some areas, espe-cially on the Leeward coast showing densities > 200 individuals/ha. The modal size class increased from 15 - 19.9 cm in the first year to 20 - 29cm in the second year (year 2). Females represented more than 60% of all fish sampled, however males were generally longer and heavier than females. At sites where culling was less frequent, higher densities (up to 4x) and larger size modalities of lionfish were noted than on frequently culled sites. As the invasion continues, the species most threatened include small and medium bodies fish, with the following representing the most frequently scored prey item: Stegastes partitus, Sparisoma aurofrenatum, Stenopus hispidus and Neogonodactylus curacaoensis. There has been no noticeable negative impact observed on any of the study reefs thus far.

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