DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. (WALA) – Alabama has the largest artificial reef program in the country, spanning more than 1,200 square miles of bottom. Marine biologists say with that much habitat, it’s no surprise that lionfish populations have flourished.
Lionfish are native to the Indo Pacific. The popular belief as to how they ended up in our waters is that they were purchased for aquarium life but were then released after outgrowing that environment. They have no natural predators, their eggs are poisonous to local species that may eat them and then, once able to swim, they’re protected by venomous, spiny fins.
Invasion timeline and population trends
Craig Newton, a biologist with Alabama Marine Resources, said the lionfish invasion has been underway for longer than anyone really knows. The first sighting in the northern gulf was in 2009 and studies focused on their spread have been ongoing annually since 2011…