Friday Smorgasbord: Insane in the Chromatophores, Shark bait, lionfish derby results, improving reefs via water, and garbage cleanup off Miami reef

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-OVrI9x8Zs[/youtube] We like squids and we like Cypress Hill. Combine the two and you have this visually stunning and scientifically fascinating video. Cephalopods change their appearance through color-changes cells called chromatophores that are neurologically stimulated via electrical signals in the squid.…

Parapterois heterura, the most gorgeous of the scorpionfish

The Blue-Fin/Black-Foot lionfish, Parapterois heterura, is not a common fish in the trade. Bluefin lionfish hail from the Western Pacific and South African coast, therefore, they are not collected frequently. Parapterois heterura also have a reputation for being delicate. While they are…

Florida declares war on invasive lionfish

In an executive order signed earlier this month, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has effectively declared war on the invasive Lionfish.  For the next 12 months, it is a virtual no-holds-barred, open season on this damaging predator.  Highlights include:…

Sharks Taught to Hunt Alien Lionfish

Roatan Marine Park divers are training sharks to like a new snack–that of the invasive lionfish. Some wonder if the taining sharks to feast on these fish the best way to make any difference. “It may be more effective for…

New strategy for invasive lionfish: if you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em

Poking through the pages of “The Lionfish Cookbook,” we can pretty much see that the new plan for dealing with the invasive lionfish in the Atlantic is “If you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em!” Key Largo-based conservation organization REEF, who…

Over 500 invasive lionfish harvested in inaugural Florida Keys Lionfish Tournament

Around 100 divers participated in the inaugural Florida Keys Lionfish Tournament in mid-September removing 534 of the non-native Indo-Pacific red lionfish from the waters of the Florida Keys. The fish have plagued the Atlantic coast of the U.S. and have been found…

Invasive lionfish now being colleced from the Caribbean and offered for sale to the aquarium trade

The “Plague” of Lionfish invading the Caribbean and Florida continues. One of the latest solutions to at least control their populations has been to popularize the Caribbean Lionfish as a target for spearfishers and haute cuisine for your dinnerplate!  To…

Lionfish Hunters assure us that lionfish tastes just like chicken

The Lionfish invasion of the Carribean may just now be reaching St. Croix but the voracious predator is already firmly established in the Bahamas. To deal with the growing menace in the Bahamian islands, a new organization called the Lionfish…

Keys lionfish sightings finally verified after the capture of St. Croix specimen

After many unconfirmed sightings in the Caribbean last June, this past November a live volitan lionfish, Pterois volitans, was captured off the southwest coast of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands . The spread of lionfish has been felt…