IV 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 132 
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 
MARCH 1, 2011 
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 re-
gions 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 132 IH 
Whereas lionfish inhabit most coastal marine reef habitats up 
to 1,000 feet deep; 
Whereas in the Atlantic Ocean, lionfish consume over 50 spe-
cies 
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 hin-
dering stock rebuilding efforts for commercially and 
recreationally important species; 
Whereas economic losses for fishermen from lionfish may in-
clude loss of fishing days when painful envenomation oc-
curs and reduced catches of some commercial species; 
Whereas predation on herbivores by lionfish can result in cas-
cading impacts such as increased macroalgae and de-
creased coral biomass which would threaten ecosystem in-
tegrity and ecosystem services provided by coral reef eco-
systems; 
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 im-
pacts on the tourism industry, which is critical to the 
economies of coastal communities; 
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•HRES 132 IH 
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, har-
vesting juveniles for the aquarium trade, sport tour-
naments, and citizen-based removal programs: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) urges development of a comprehensive, sci-
entifically based, region-wide strategy to address the 
lionfish invasion in the Atlantic Ocean, that includes 
actions such as local management plans and inter-
national partnerships; 
(2) supports scientific research and capacity 
building to develop and implement responses to the 
lionfish invasion; and 
(3) encourages raising public awareness about 
the lionfish invasion across the United States and its 
territories, 
especially 
in 
coastal 
communities, 
through outreach and education. 
Æ 
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