The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission plans to unveil a new lionfish smart device app during a live Twitter chat from 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 28.
To participate, sign in to Twitter and follow @MyFWClife or #FWCLionfish. Tweets should have have the #FWCLionfish in them.
Lionfish are a spiny, invasive species that have great potential to negatively impact Florida’s reefs and wildlife. Popular as aquarium pets, they were brought here by East Coast pet dealers and released by pet owners. Though divers first noticed them in the 1980s, the main lionfish increase in population has been since about 2010.
Lionfish not only prey on native species, they also compete for food with economically important species such as grouper and snapper, and they can disrupt the balance of native populations, ultimately causing a cascade effect that can alter habitats.
Learn more about lionfish at MyFWC.com/Nonnatives; click on “Marine Life.”