IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 67 

Expressing the need to raise awareness and promote capacity building to 

strategically address the lionfish invasion in the Atlantic Ocean. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 13, 2013 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Natural Resources 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the need to raise awareness and promote capacity 

building to strategically address the lionfish invasion in 

the Atlantic Ocean. 

Whereas two species of venomous lionfish, the red lionfish 

(Pterois volitans) and devil firefish (Pterois miles), were 

likely introduced into the Atlantic Ocean via the United 

States aquarium trade in the 1980s; 

Whereas lionfish are now established throughout the coastal 

southeastern United States, the Caribbean, and many regions of the Gulf of Mexico; 

Whereas lionfish may live for decades in high densities and 

reproduce at an alarming rate by spawning over 

2,000,000 eggs per year per female; 


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•HRES 67 IH 

Whereas lionfish inhabit most coastal marine reef habitats up 

to 1,000 feet deep; 

Whereas in the Atlantic Ocean, lionfish consume over 50 species of fish, some of which are commercially, 

recreationally, and ecologically important; 

Whereas lionfish may impact species of concern such as the 

Nassau grouper and Warsaw grouper, speckled hind, 

striped croaker, and key silverside; 

Whereas the economic impacts of lionfish may include hindering stock rebuilding efforts for commercially and 

recreationally important species; 

Whereas economic losses for fishermen from lionfish may include loss of fishing days when painful envenomation occurs and reduced catches of some commercial species; 

Whereas predation on herbivores by lionfish can result in cascading impacts such as increased macroalgae and decreased coral biomass which would threaten ecosystem integrity and ecosystem services provided by coral reef ecosystems; 

Whereas lionfish may impact Atlantic Ocean biodiversity by 

consuming fish species critical to maintaining healthy 

and viable coral reef and hard-bottom ecosystems; 

Whereas interactions with other reef stressors such as ocean 

acidification, warming temperatures, and other factors 

could exacerbate lionfish impacts; 

Whereas the destruction of coral reefs and increased human 

health hazards from lionfish may have devastating impacts on the tourism industry, which is critical to the 

economies of coastal communities; 


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Whereas current technology suggests lionfish eradication at 

the regional scale is likely not feasible given the expansive 

depths and geography of lionfish habitat; 

Whereas control plans that support sustained removals of 

lionfish can significantly reduce local lionfish densities; 

and 

Whereas tools for local lionfish control in some communities 

may include commercial harvesting as a food fish, harvesting juveniles for the aquarium trade, sport tournaments, and citizen-based removal programs: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) urges development of a comprehensive, sci3 entifically based, region-wide strategy to address the 

4 lionfish invasion in the Atlantic Ocean, that includes 

5 actions such as local management plans and inter6 national partnerships; 

7 (2) supports scientific research and capacity 

8 building to develop and implement responses to the 

9 lionfish invasion; and 

10 (3) encourages raising public awareness about 

11 the lionfish invasion across the United States and its 

12 territories, especially in coastal communities, 

13 through outreach and education. 

Æ 


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