Abstract

Since the first reported sighting of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles) in the Atlantic Ocean over 30 years ago, growing evidence suggests they may have a dramatic negative impact upon native ecosystems and demersal communi-ties. While invasive populations expanded rapidly in most locations following their initial establishment, the lionfish popu-lation in Bermuda, the first location outside of the United States to be invaded, appears to be growing at a slower pace. This study investigated the life history characteristics of the invasive lionfish population in Bermuda, examining population structure, growth rates, size-at-maturity, reproductive seasonality and fecundity, in order to understand and model population dynamics and thus potential impacts on Bermuda’s coral reef ecosystem. Annual growth rings in lionfish otoliths were counted to describe population structure and to establish size-at-age, which was then utilized to estimate growth parameters using von Bertalanffy growth models. Macroscopic and histological staging of ovaries, calculations of gonadosomatic and hepatosomatic indices, and enumerations of mature oocytes were used to describe reproductive seasonality and capacity. Lionfish in Bermuda appear to grow faster and attain larger sizes than they do in their native range or elsewhere in the in-vaded range. However, they also reach maturity at larger sizes and have a shorter spawning season, possibly as a result of Bermuda’s cool winter seawater temperatures. These characteristics could mitigate or delay any ecological impact that in-vasive lionfish may have on marine ecosystems in Bermuda.

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