My apologies. Yes that's what I meant to type was why. I tried to edit but didn't remember how. U have a wealth of knowledge on these guys and it's a tremendous help to lots of people here. I was just trying to get a better understanding of the issues and see if there was more we could be doing as hobbyist to help with the cause.
It definitely seems to be mostly an issue of educating hobbyists about the dangers of releasing non-native species into local waters. A lot of people don't think of the damage that releasing their unwanted fish into the ocean can cause. And its not just fish! Caulerpa algae in California is another great example of this issue. Its also not just the aquarium industry. Non-native plants, bugs, and other animals can also become invasive species. I linked this on the last page, but I'll move it here since I think its a good source of information. Here's a recent publication by MASNA on the lionfish invasion.
Yeah they really are some of the most unique fish. I love my lionfish, but I also appreciate the issue they are causing on the East Coast and in the Carribbean. I think that it would be a shame to ban them completely from the hobby, but I do think aquarists need to pay way more attention to these issues and I agree with legislation to help control the issue, such as the ban on importing them to Florida. Unfortunately, the issue is that all the experts agree that there is just not going to be a way to 100% eradicate them from the east coast waters now that they've taken hold like this. Its just focusing on population control at this point to try to protect the fish that are their prey.
I think you are completely right. That's why pirannas are not supposed to be sold south of the Ohio river but they are.What? I didn't say that. I said I believe releases are a source, as in one source, not thee only source. Nobody knows anything "for sure" and that's why people are trying to form connectivity hypothesis. Of course you don't have to agree with them.... it's kind of how hypotheses work. That's why piranna are not supposed to be sold south of the Ohio but they are.
Actually, there's not a million ways, there are only a few ways of probability presented. They look at the haplotypes in one area and compare them to another. They are able to tell where they came from, but not how they got there. We try to analyze all the different ways, but nothing fits perfectly and that's why there is no decisive answer. A lot of currents would stop eggs from going from "Area A" to "Area B".
I can't post full diagrams, because they are not mine to share, but they show some very interesting influences of currents. I left a little of the text as well, so you could get an idea of the data.
(Betancur‐R., R., Hines, A., Acero P., A., Ortí, G., Wilbur, A., & Freshwater, D. (2011). Reconstructing the lionfish invasion: insights into Greater Caribbean biogeography. Journal of Biogeography, 38(7),)
I really like this one as well, because it shows all the different variables involved in these hypothesis.
(D., W., Andrew, H., Seth, P., Ami, W., Michelle, S., Jennifer, W., Lad, A., Bruce, P., Paula, W., & Claire, P. (2009). Mitochondrial control region sequence analyses indicate dispersal from the US East Coast as the source of the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans in the Bahamas. Marine Biology, 156(6), 1213-1221.)
They figure the yearly hurricanes are pushing eggs and larvae from Florida to the Bahamas. So, that I believe to be current related, but it's the wrong direction. A great resource for that is; Johnston, M., & Purkis, S. (2015). Hurricanes accelerated the Florida–Bahamas lionfish invasion. Global Change Biology, 21(6), 2249-2260.
I would love to think we were not contributors, but there is more than one thing that has caused this perfect storm. Lions are one of those frequently released animals, because they grow to their promised size and people are no longer able to house them and become tired of them eating their fish..... poorly planned acquisitions. Do you know how many people have come up in my face about these guys? I had a booth at Max one year and a fellow vendor stopped me in the isle and was saying some of the craziest, most uneducated information that any hobbyist should be embarrassed to spew. I really have poured over dozens of legit studies before I formed my hypothesis. I didn't take to this lightly.
