Volume 66
Investigation of Lionfish (P. volitans/miles) Use of Estuarine Mangroves in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, USA
Authors
Dark, E. and J. Beal Download PDF Open PDF in BrowserOther Information
Date: November, 2013
Pages: 191 194
Event: Proceedings of the Sixty six Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
City: Corpus Christy
Country: USA
Abstract
Since 2008 the invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) has been reported along man-made structures and mangroves in Floridas Indian River Lagoon (IRL), one of the most biodiverse estuaries in the U.S. With limited research on estuarine lionfish, our objective was to examine their presence in the IRL, specifically in the mangroves. We conducted this study within 5 km of five major inlets of the IRL from April 2013 to September 2013, surveying a variety of habitats, examining size, diet, gonad stage and site fidelity. Including pilot data from 2012, we found a total of 132 lionfish in IRL, with 73 in the mangroves. Our size and reproductive status data suggest an estuarine resident population. Our tagging effort found lionfish exhibiting fidelity for up to three months. Diet analysis revealed a prevalence of demersal teleosts and decapods, including commercially important species such as Farfantepenaeus duorarum and Callinectes spp.