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Aggregating behaviour in invasive Caribbean lionfish is driven by habitat complexity.

ABSTRACT: Caribbean lionfish (Pterois spp.) are considered the most heavily impacting invasive marine vertebrate ever recorded. However, current management is largely inadequate, relying on opportunistic culling by recreational SCUBA divers. Culling efficiency could be greatly improved by exploiting natural aggregations, but to date this behaviour has only been recorded anecdotally, and the drivers are unknown. We found aggregations to be common in situ, but detected no conspecific attraction through visual or olfactory cues in laboratory experiments. Aggregating individuals were on average larger, but showed no further differences in morphology or life history. However, using visual assessments and 3D modelling we show lionfish prefer broad-scale, but avoid fine-scale, habitat complexity. We therefore suggest that lionfish aggregations are coincidental based on individuals' mutual attraction to similar reef structure to maximise hunting efficiency. Using this knowledge, artificial aggregation devices might be developed to concentrate lionfish densities and thus improve culling efficiency.

SUBMITTER: Hunt CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6349842 | biostudies-other | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Aggregating behaviour in invasive Caribbean lionfish is driven by habitat complexity.

Hunt Christina L CL   Kelly George R GR   Windmill Hannah H   Curtis-Quick Jocelyn J   Conlon Helen H   Bodmer Max D V MDV   Rogers Alex D AD   Exton Dan A DA  

Scientific reports 20190128 1

Caribbean lionfish (Pterois spp.) are considered the most heavily impacting invasive marine vertebrate ever recorded. However, current management is largely inadequate, relying on opportunistic culling by recreational SCUBA divers. Culling efficiency could be greatly improved by exploiting natural aggregations, but to date this behaviour has only been recorded anecdotally, and the drivers are unknown. We found aggregations to be common in situ, but detected no conspecific attraction through visu  ...[more]