Number: 2014-11
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Federation is fully committed to protecting fish and wildlife and their habitats; and
WHEREAS, two visually identical species of lionfish (Pterois miles and P. volitans) were introduced into the Atlantic via the U.S. aquarium trade beginning in the 1980s; and as of 2014, the lionfish invaded range is North Carolina to South America including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea; and
WHEREAS, lionfish effectiveness as invasive species derives in part from their wide temperature tolerance, ability to inhabit all marine habitat types and depths from shoreline to over 1,000 feet, rapid maturation with sexual maturity in less than a year with reproduction occurring throughout the year about every four days with a single female lionfish capable of spawning over two million eggs/year; and lionfish eggs held together in a gelatinous mass of eggs that are dispersed at the ocean’s surface by currents; and
WHEREAS, lionfish may live decades and reach sizes exceeding 19 inches possess venomous spines capable of deterring predators and inflicting mild to serious stings and reactions in humans; and
WHEREAS, lionfish can reach high population densities, are generalist carnivores that consume over 70 species of fish and many invertebrate species, with dense lionfish populations capable of consuming more than 460,000 prey fish/acre/year; and
WHEREAS, lionfish prey on commercially, recreationally, and ecologically important species, on heavily invaded sites having reduced their fish prey populations by up to 90 percent, and lionfish are susceptible to very few parasites compared to native species; and
WHEREAS, lionfish are edible and considered a delicacy, and local removal efforts that are sustained have proven to significantly reduce lionfish densities; and
WHEREAS, lionfish pose a trans-boundary threat, therefore, interstate and international communication and cooperation is vital to their control;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation at its annual meeting assembled May 1-3 2014, in Baltimore, Maryland, supports the development and implementation of national, regional, state and territorial lionfish response and management plans that address the potential ecological and economic threat posed by invasive lionfish with specific and measureable strategies for education and outreach, removal, research and monitoring, marketing and communications; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon the President, Congress, federal and state agencies as well as Regional Fishery Management Councils to implement policies, management plans, and safeguards that: improve effectiveness of coordinated removal; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon federal and state agencies to improve our understanding of lionfish impacts, effectiveness of removal, and viability of commercial sale; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon federal and state agencies to support research that may lead to effective lionfish control; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon federal and state agencies to ban the importation of live lionfish; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon federal and state agencies to support the marketing of lionfish as a means to incentivize control; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon federal and state agencies to promote communication and coordination between groups and the public; and support a strong education and outreach program which builds community support, aids development of a network of partners, and advances awareness and understanding of the lionfish invasion impacts.