Invasive species from a different perspective...

Perhaps they should open lionfish to unlimited numbers for collection and tell the people who sell such fish to go to town.

I mean.. if we can wipe out passenger pigeons and almost take down the buffalo.. why not cut the numbers of lionfish down to managable so there's a chance of wiping them out?

Places on reefs have been nearly denuded of fish harvested for the pet trade, so why not harvest the lionfish? A few nets, and a few holding tanks. Kill any that are "overflow" numbers that you can't sell. Sounds cold, but they are a bad species to introduce.

Pretty interesting stuff.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/flo...nts-us-do.html

"They are pretty, but bold. They are voracious, eating anything from tropicals to juvenile grouper and snapper. They have no local predators. They are incredibly prolific. They are sexually mature when they are only inches long. Unlike most fish which have a batch of eggs once or twice a year, lionfish reproduce regularly, spawning thousands of eggs. Once they are established, they seem impossible to contain, with serious impacts to the local habitat."