Abstract

Lionfish was first reported in Panama in 2009, and has been regarded as abundant in the Bocas del Toro archipelago, though previous tournaments decreased their populations. This invasion could have dramatic effects on local reef community structure, which is already under pressure as a result of overfishing, pollution, coral disease, and unordered tourism development, which on the other hand, have deviated traditional fishers to tourism activity. To date, few restaurants in the area have offered lionfish on their menu, and other locals are reticent to prepare/eat it because of its menacing, venomous spines. Local indigenous communities are taking a step forward on selling a considerable amount of whole fish to at least one restaurant willing to buy every amount offered. Diveshops eventually remove lionfish during their activities. This study used intensive search of lionfish within 60 sites throughout the archipelago accounting for several paramenters that would predict lionfish occurrence (depth, wave exposure, habitat quality, removal type, distance from coast). Lionfish abundance was linked to type of removal (by diver, by fisher, none, both) and distance from coast (the nearest fishing community/diveshop), indicating that associated trip cost could be a limiting factor for local fishers/diveshops, and providing important avenues for management. Our results suggests small-scale removals as an efficient tool to manage for lionfish control and can help identify critical areas for directing monitoring and control efforts. Promoting consumption of lionfish among the local community and at restaurants frequented by tourists could encourage an increased fishing effort.

PDF Preview