{"id":6455,"date":"2023-06-12T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=6455"},"modified":"2023-06-02T07:35:12","modified_gmt":"2023-06-02T07:35:12","slug":"invasive-lionfish-have-spread-south-from-the-caribbean-to-brazil-threatening-ecosystems-and-livelihoods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/invasive-lionfish-have-spread-south-from-the-caribbean-to-brazil-threatening-ecosystems-and-livelihoods\/","title":{"rendered":"Invasive lionfish have spread south from the Caribbean to Brazil, threatening ecosystems and livelihoods"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n \n
\n An invasive lionfish at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico.\n G. P. Schmahl\/NOAA<\/a>, CC BY<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\nOsmar J. Luiz<\/a>, Charles Darwin University<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n

Brazil\u2019s coastal waters teem with a rich array of species that paint a living tapestry beneath the waves. This underwater world is particularly special because many of its species are endemic<\/a> \u2013 they are found nowhere else on Earth. The southwestern Atlantic is home to 111 endemic reef fish species<\/a>, each of which plays a crucial role in the intricate web of marine life. <\/p>\n\n

An uninvited guest has arrived in these tropical waters: the Pacific red lionfish<\/a> (Pterois volitans<\/em>). Renowned for its stunning appearance and voracious appetite, the lionfish was first detected off of Florida in 1985 and has spread throughout the Caribbean, killing reef fish in large numbers<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

Now it has breached a formidable obstacle: the Amazon-Orinoco river plume, which flows into the Atlantic from northeastern Brazil. This massive discharge of fresh water has long functioned as a barrier<\/a> separating Caribbean fish species from those farther south along Brazil\u2019s coastline.<\/p>\n\n

Scientists and environmental managers widely agree that the lionfish invasion in Brazil is a potential ecological disaster. As a marine ecologist<\/a>, I believe mitigating the damage will require a comprehensive approach that addresses the ecological, social and economic harms wrought by this predatory fish.<\/p>\n\n

\n