Times of the Islands Fall 2021

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
Lionfish possess venomous dorsal, anal and pelvic spines. The pelvic spines are visible here as the lionfish splays them outward.
ANNA HANDTE-REINECKER
The invasion was not limited to South Caicos,
either—lionfish in fact were first sighted in the Turks
& Caicos Islands in an unknown location in 2006, then
documented off West Caicos in 2007. I reached out
to Dr. John Claydon, who was a previous center director
at SFS in the 2000s and then went on to direct the
Department of Environment & Coastal Resources (DECR)
in Providenciales. Dr. Claydon provides some insight:
Q: You have been involved as a researcher and director in
various capacities throughout the Turks & Caicos Islands,
and in this time, lionfish have unfortunately become
established. How did this invasion affect the livelihood
of those in the TCI?
JC: It is hard to tell, but it is likely that lionfish have
reduced the abundance of native species and this may
affect fishers directly. It is also possible that lionfish contribute
to the degradation of coral reefs, and everyone
in the Islands is affected if they lose this vital natural
defense against storms, and if its value as a source of
food and as a tourist attraction is reduced. Not to mention
the broader value of reefs for biodiversity.
Dr. Claydon brings up important points about the ecological
and economic relevance of lionfish. Degradation
of the reef system due to lionfish is a big potential problem
for the TCI, however we have tools at our disposal.
Culling, or consistent spearfishing of lionfish in an area,
is the best answer currently available to controlling the
lionfish population in the absence of a natural predator.
When a lionfish is brought onto shore and dissected, we
call it a “catch.”
Times of the Islands Fall 2021 39