Abstract

Lionfish, Pterois volitans, are primarily removed from mesophotic reefs as bycatch in local fisheries, particularly lobster traps, at catch rates too low to exert control over deepwater populations. Our goal was to assess the efficacy of a noncontainment, “Gittings” trap in removing lionfish from mesophotic habitats in the Florida Keys and provide a reliable trap design with low bycatch. We modified the design and deployment strategy of the Gittings trap to eliminate risk of non-target species entanglement and increase deployment success. The original loose shrimp net was replaced with a stiff base of Tenax turf mesh tied to the rebar frame in a baffle design to allow the trap to still billow upon retrieval while reducing risk of entrapment of animals below the trap and the likelihood of bottom snagging. Gittings traps were deployed between 35m-50m of depth in a paired design with modified lobster traps between April-June 2023 on forty deep reef and five artificial structure sites in the Florida Keys. Green lights were added to a subset of the deployed traps. Sites were surveyed by divers for lionfish during deployment. No lionfish were captured in the Gittings traps and only one lionfish was captured in the modified lobster trap. Video analysis reveals limited recruitment of lionfish towards either trap design despite numerous lionfish being surveyed at the sites. Traps may not be effective in the extensive reef habitat of the Florida Keys as lionfish do not appear to recruit readily to traps even at very low relief sites.