Scientists tether lionfish to Cayman reefs

By DAVID McFADDEN17 hours ago

The invasive species with a flowing mane of venomous spines has no natural predators in the Atlantic and Caribbean Sea. Native sharks and groupers typically avoid healthy lionfish, a native to the Indian and Pacific oceans that was likely introduced through the pet trade. But when a University of Florida team tethered spry lionfish to lead weights on reefs off Little Cayman, underwater video cameras late showed nurse sharks and Nassau groupers gulping them down.

Thomas Frazer is one of the researchers and the director of the University of Florida's School of Natural Resources and Environment. In a Thursday email, he said the study off Little Cayman suggests that sharks and groupers "have the capacity to learn to pursue, capture and consume" lionfish without human intervention.

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