$265,000 Grant For Bermuda Lionfish Task Force

I am delighted to be here today to announce that The Bermuda Lionfish Task Force has received a grant from the Darwin Plus fund of the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), to further the research components of the Bermuda Lionfish Control Plan.

The Darwin Plus fund is an important part of the UK Government’s network of support for conserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems in the overseas territories (OTs). As island ecosystems, the UK OTs are particularly vulnerable to invasive alien species, and the UK has pledged both financial and logistical assistance to help tackle this issue in particular.

Lionfish, like this one here behind me, are popular aquarium fish that originally come from the Pacific and Indian Oceans. From a small number of fish released into Florida waters in the 1980s, lionfish have now spread throughout the western Atlantic, from Bermuda to Brazil, and across the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. The first lionfish found in Bermuda was collected in 2000, and divers have noticed ever increasing numbers on our reefs since then.

This rapid invasion of the lionfish across the region is of great concern for many reasons. Lionfish are voracious predators that consume large numbers of small fish, yet there are no known predators of the lionfish themselves, so their population continues to grow unchecked. Lionfish are already affecting local fish populations, and this could lead to further impacts on Bermuda’s coral reefs and other marine habitats. With 18 venomous spines in their fins, lionfish also pose a risk to people who might encounter them during fishing, diving or snorkeling activities.

At present, lionfish in Bermuda appear to be concentrated in deeper water and are found less often in the shallows, so there is still a window of opportunity to control this invasive population. Lionfish can be eaten, and this delicate white fish is often described as tasting similar to grouper. Targeting lionfish for the table can help control their population in a cost-effective manner, and this strategy has been implemented in various forms throughout the region. However, robust and innovative strategies are needed to tackle the challenge presented by a continual supply of lionfish larvae travelling up the Gulf Stream and the difficulties posed by the depths at which these fish are found locally.

In October, 2012, the Bermuda Lionfish Task Force was established to co-ordinate local efforts to control lionfish and limit their impact on our environment and our economy. The Task Force represents a growing number of government departments, organizations from the science, education, and dive communities, commercial fishermen, NGOs, the corporate and private sector and interested individuals. The Task Force is currently producing a Bermuda Lionfish Control Plan, a guide for implementing the research and management activities necessary to develop the most effective long-term control strategies for lionfish in Bermuda.

To support the priority research components of the plan, the Task Force submitted an application entitled the “Bermuda Invasive Lionfish Control Initiative” to the Darwin Plus: Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund under Defra. The grant proposal was written by collaborators from the Ocean Support Foundation, the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, the Bermuda Zoological Society and the Bermuda Government Departments of Conservation Services and Environmental Protection. We are here today to celebrate the award of £169,898 (approximately $265,000) from the Darwin Plus fund to further this vital research.

The grant work will focus on a lionfish population density and distribution study, development of a lionfish-specific trap for commercial fishers, evaluation of the impacts of lionfish feeding, and a population dynamics study to determine the extent to which the population is sustained by local reproduction versus larvae arriving from elsewhere via the Gulf Stream. The “Bermuda Invasive Lionfish Control Initiative” project will play an important role in generating the tools and data required for the implementation of an on-going Bermuda Lionfish Control Plan.

However, the Darwin Plus grant is limited to research activities, and it is only the first step towards procuring the many resources that will be required to make the Bermuda Lionfish Control Plan successful and to sustain it in the long-term. Efforts will continue to find funding for other elements of the plan.

The Lionfish Task Force will combine the resources of the Government with a diverse array of stakeholder-led activities so that we can make every effort to control the lionfish population at a level that will mitigate the long-term impact of this invasive species on native fish, reef communities, the island’s economy and public health.

I would like to thank Mr. Jim Gleeson, as Chairman of the Task Force, as well as all the recreational divers, dive shop operators, fishermen, scientists and educators for their efforts. I recognize that Bermuda is integrally linked to the Ocean; its health dictates our health. We need as much help as possible to meet this threat head on and spare no effort.

For information on the lionfish invasion and to report sightings or the capture of a lionfish, visit the Ocean Support Foundation website www.oceansupport.org .

Also, watch for the opening of the Bermuda Lionfish Task Force – Lionfish Exhibit and Invasive Species lecture series at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI) on June 4th.

Read More About