Abstract

Lionfish are the first marine fish invader from the Western Pacific to the Atlantic. In the space of around 30 years in their invasive range, lionfish have infiltrated a diverse array of habitats, inhabited a depth range of > 300 m and exceeded the size and density reported in the native range, demonstrating the difficulty of effective lionfish management. If left unmanaged, lionfish pose a significant, but still uncertain, threat to Caribbean ecosystems thereby warranting the need for effective and efficient, tailored management schemes based on lionfish ecology within invaded habitats. During a monitoring period between 2009 - 2013, more than 10,000 lionfish specimens from Bonaire, Klein Bonaire, and Curacao were documented, measured and weighed, with their feeding and reproductive ecology analysed in relation to local management strategies and timing. Management actions affected population size-structure, and the time taken for population size structure to rebound following management removal can be used to infer population growth rates and to suggest most effective times and strategies for lionfish removal. Due to their extensive dispersal, lionfish is a regional problem, requiring a dedicated, co-operative but resource intensive effort, but local populations may require locally tailored approaches to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of enacted control and management programs.

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