Lionfish Invasion: Species Could Be Disaster for Atlantic Ocean

A lionfish invasion could mean trouble for the Atlantic Ocean. Environmentalists are concerned by the overabundance of lionfish around Bermuda.

Lionfish aren't native to the Atlantic Ocean, but they seem to have invaded, which isn't a good thing. The species if a venomous, fast reproducing fish which are aggressive eaters and eat just about everything. To make matters worse, they don't have any predators besides humans and they're capable of wiping out 90 percent of a reef, CNN reports.

"The lionfish invasion is probably the worst environmental disaster the Atlantic will ever face," Graham Maddocks, president and founder of Ocean Support Foundation told CNN. The OSF works with the government and research agencies to help reduce the lionfish population in Bermuda.

The problem has just started to grow but environmentalists are already very concerned. James Morris of the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science said this isn't the worst problem the Atlantic Ocean has seen but it could lead to disaster. He calls the lionfish "the most abundant top-level predator on some coral reefs (in the Atlantic)" and it has the ability to bring a "big change in biodiversity."

Lionfish are capable of reproducing very quickly as they produce 30,000 to 40,000 eggs every few days and are sexually mature by 1 year old. They are now found throughout the Amazon, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and in the waters along North Carolina.

Lionfish are particularly dangerous to the ecosystem because Atlantic fish don't know to keep away from them.

It seems that Florida pet owners are the ones responsible for bringing lionfish to the Atlantic by releasing them into the ocean. It is believed that the Atlantic's lionfish only came from six to eight female lionfish.

It is believed that only humans can stop the lionfish. However lionfish hunts may not be enough to solve the problem.

"It's an infestation," Morris told CNN "The Atlantic Ocean is a big place, but the areas being affected are extremely important."

"I don't know if we can stop the lionfish invasion. This isn't a battle we can win, we can only maintain," Maddock said. "Human beings started this problem. It is our fault they are here. We have to take responsibility and try to fix or hope we can control it."