Volume 68
Lionfish Prey Consumption in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands
Authors
Reale-Munro, K. and B. Castillo II Download PDF Open PDF in BrowserOther Information
Date: November, 2015
Pages: 202 - 203
Event: Proceedings of the Sixty eigth Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
City: Panama City
Country: Panama
Abstract
In 2008 the first confirmed lionfish was removed from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. Currently, the lionfish populations in the US Virgin Islands are well established and have spread down the Lesser Antilles toward South America. This study investigated potential temporal and spatial changes in prey consumption by lionfish culled from reefs surrounding St. Croix, VI. After observing gut contents of 542 lionfish in 2011 that were collected from the west end of St. Croix and 86 lionfish from the northeast end in 2013, results indicated that lionfish preferred the same top three prey items, regardless of location.