MSI Session
2 Update
Our interns
had a busy conclusion to their 2nd week. On Thursday they participated in parrotfish follows to
determine some of the differences between male and female parrotfish
behavior. In the afternoon, they learned
about bathymetry and created bathymetric models and maps using clay and transparency paper.
On Friday
morning, the interns identified algae by collecting various samples from the
dock next to BIOS. In the
afternoon they went on an algae scavenger hunt, and spent time in the lab
classifying what they found with guest algae expert Thea Popolizio, from the
University of Rhode Island.
Additionally,
this week our interns spent some time learning about Lionfish. This is a very important subject for
everyone to learn about because the lionfish are an invasive species that is
very dangerous to local ecology of Bermuda. Here are the facts our interns learned about lionfish:
Diet: Carnivore
Average life span in the wild: Up to 15 years
Size: 11.8 to 20 in (30 to 47 cm)
Weight: Up to 2.6 lbs (1.2 kg)
·
Can
have up to 18 dorsal fins that are similar to needles - A lionfish will often
spread its feathery pectoral fins and herd small fish into a confined space
where it can more easily swallow them.
·
Their
needles contain defensive venom - If attacked, a lionfish delivers potent venom
via its needle-like dorsal fins. Its sting is extremely painful to humans and
can cause nausea and breathing difficulties, but is rarely fatal.
·
Feeds
mainly on fish and shrimp – They hunt mostly during the day, and in the
nighttime they hide in small underwater caves and under ledges. Its stomach can expand to 30 times its
normal size.
·
Habitat:
coral reefs and shallow bays - Native to the reefs and rocky crevices of the
Indo-Pacific, although they've found their way to warm ocean habitats
worldwide.
·
Family:
scorpion fish – They are also called turkey fish,
dragon fish and scorpion fish.
·
External
spawners – A single female lionfish can spawn over 2 million eggs per year.
·
They
Can be cooked and eaten as food.
Lionfish are a problem for Bermuda because:
·
In
Bermuda they have no natural predators.
·
Lionfish
prey are commercially, recreationally, and ecologically important. Dense lionfish populations can consist
of over 200 adults per acre, and can consume more than 460,000 prey fish per
acre per year.
·
People
have to kill 27 percent of their population just to keep their numbers the same
as they are now, and that’s a big task.
·
They
are an invading intruder that has been known to breed at an alarming rate of
30,000 to 40,000 eggs every four days.
·
They
are gathering their forces at 200ft, which is a deeper depth than recreational
diving permits. They come up into
the shallows to spawn.
·
The
current methods of regulating the lionfish population range from spear fishing
to the use of experimental traps.
·
Many
people believe the lionfish invasion is the worst environmental disaster the
Atlantic Ocean has ever faced.
It’s worse than an oil spill because you can plug an oil leak and mop up
all the oil and it dispenses and goes away.