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The catch is not as impressive on the board as it is in the wild, but its toxin-packing spines are quite visible. The specimen was 19 cm long and weighed .068 kg. It has been frozen and will be sent to the NOAA/NEFSC National Systematics Laboratory at the Smithsonian Institution for use in the National Museum of Natural History’s reference collection. NOAA/NMFS photo by Peter Chase

By Teri L. Frady

There was a very interesting and somewhat unfortunate catch during the just-completed first leg of the NEFSC spring bottom trawl survey aboard the NOAA Ship Albatross IV. 

“When we were just south of Cape Hatteras, we picked up a lionfish in about 60 m of water,” reported Peter Chase of the Ecosystems Surveys Branch, who served as chief scientist for the cruise. “It was taken during a standard 30 minute trawl. I wasn’t on deck until the catch was ready for sorting, but as soon as I saw it in the bucket, I knew what it was.”

It’s the first lionfish ever encountered during the bottom trawl survey’s 43 years of operation. The survey time series currently has codes for 954 distinct species regularly collected since 1963. “Lionfish probably won’t be added right away, because it is still uncommon,” said Chase.

The Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles complex) is an invasive species in the Atlantic. It’s dramatic looking, with long spines that are venomous, and has been a popular import for use in private aquariums. While not usually fatal to humans, a lionfish sting, well, it really stings. (By the way, no scientists were harmed in this encounter!)

Reports of lionfish captures started to occur regularly off Florida early in this decade, following scattered reports of aquarium escapes in the 1990s. Reports have since been collected as far north as Long Island Sound and as far east as Bermuda.

Chase said he had been expecting to eventually encounter a lionfish in the survey as captures are becoming more common. “The chances are pretty good that we will run into them again, so we’re looking at ways of adding lionfish and another unusual species to our database,” he said.

Posted April 7, 2006