Abstract

Field trials were conducted for prototype lionfish traps designed to capture lionfish and reduce bycatch typically seen in traditional fish trap designs. These “non-containment curtain traps” exploit the tendency of lionfish to aggregate around structures. The prototype traps contain a fish aggregation device (FAD) centered within an open frame. When retrieved, a net curtain is drawn up around the FAD, capturing all fish within the frame. Two pairs of traps were deployed 29 km off Pensacola, Florida in the Gulf of Mexico at a depth of 34 m. One pair was positioned 10 m and another 40 m from existing artificial reefs originally placed to provide habitat for native marine organisms, but which is now dominated by invasive lionfish. Divers counted lionfish, then removed them via spear (to simulate trap retrieval) at different intervals (simulating soak times). The traps attracted 23-40% of lionfish from the existing artificial reefs although not all lionfish were within the trap itself. Longer soak times increased capture rates: 14% of attracted lionfish were within the trap after one day, 35% after two days, and at least 80% for intervals 32 days or longer. Future tests will evaluate the effectiveness of trap modifications, and the effect of varying depths and distances from source populations. Preliminary results from these trials are encouraging and demonstrate that traps can be developed to remove lionfish from deep, remote locations throughout their invaded range, although collaboration with the fishing community will be essential to maximize efficiency

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