Effectiveness of removals of the invasive lionfish: how many dives are needed to deplete a reef?

PeerJ

article

Paolo Usseglio¹  Jason D. Selwyn²  Alan M. Downey-Wall³  J. Derek Hogan² 

[1] Fundación In-Nova Castilla la Mancha;HoBi Lab, Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi;Marine Science Center, Northeastern University

关键词: Invasive species;    Lionfish;    Caribbean;    Removal efficiency;    Pterois volitans;    Management prioritization;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.3043

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Introduced Indo-Pacific red lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) have spread throughout the greater Caribbean and are associated with a number of negative impacts on reef ecosystems. Human interventions, in the form of culling activities, are becoming common to reduce their numbers and mitigate the negative effects associated with the invasion. However, marine managers must often decide how to best allocate limited resources. Previous work has identified the population size thresholds needed to limit the negative impacts of lionfish. Here we develop a framework that allows managers to predict the removal effort required to achieve specific targets (represented as the percent of lionfish remaining on the reef). We found an important trade-off between time spent removing and achieving an increasingly smaller lionfish density. The model used in our suggested framework requires relatively little data to parameterize, allowing its use with already existing data, permitting managers to tailor their culling strategy to maximize efficiency and rate of success.

【 授权许可】

CC BY