Abstract

The invasive red lionfish (Pterois volitans), hereafter referred to as lionfish, was first detected in Florida in 1985. Since then, lionfish have spread rapidly throughout the Caribbean, southeastern U.S. Atlantic coast, and Gulf of Mexico; establishing large populations in a wide variety of habitats in these regions. As a result, the lionfish invasion is now considered a global conservation issue (Sutherland et. al. 2011). Since becoming established, there have been numerous studies that have examined the ecology and biology of lionfish. Yet, despite the breadth of research on lionfish ecology, there have been only a few studies that have examined the movement patterns of lionfish within their invaded range, and represents a large knowledge gap in the lionfish literature. Previous studies have characterized lionfish site fidelity and general movement patterns, however, the daily activity patterns and diel movements of lionfish are not well known. Describing such spatio-temporal movement patterns is critical to understanding and managing the spread of invasive marine species like the lionfish (Molnar et al. 2008). In this study, we used passive acoustic telemetry to examine the movement patterns of invasive lionfish on a subtropi-cal coral reef ecosystem in the Florida Keys. Specifically, the objectives of this study were: i) To quantify daily activity patterns of lionfish over a 24 hour cycle, and ii) Describe spatial and temporal movement patterns of lionfish. Results from this study provided further insight into lionfish behavior in a coral reef ecosystem.

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