Tiger prawns, lionfish sightings up in Gulf
December 19, 2011
Tiger prawns sightings have increased dramatically on the coast of Louisiana this year, according to state Fish and Wildlife officials. The first sightings occurred two years ago, and have increased dramatically in scale and scope since then. The impacts of the prawns on the Gulf ecosystem are not yet known, but biologists fear that the giant 14″ crustaceans might outcompete their local cousins.
Read more at Houma Today: “Tiger prawn sightings increase in La.”
Meanwhile, evidence is mounting that lionfish are taking hold in the Gulf.
Read more at Beaumont Enterprises: “Lions and Tigers invade the Gulf”
Tagged as:
aquatic,
fish,
lionfish,
prawns,
shrimp
“What is being lost? The answer is easy. A precious and irreplaceable part of Florida’s, and the nation’s, heritage is disappearing. Plants, animals, and entire ecosystems that took tens of thousands to millions of years to evolve are at risk. What is being gained in their place? A hodgepodge of species found in other parts of the world. . . . Florida is being homogenized, and everyone, for all time to come, will be the poorer for it.”
—E. O. Wilson, in his foreword to Strangers in Paradise: Impact and Management of Nonindigenous Species in Florida
