Brazil pays $10 per lionfish as nearly 500 invasive fish are removed

The municipality of Porto Seguro, Brazil, is paying $10 for each captured lionfish, which has invaded the region's waters and threatened native species. Nearly 500 of the invasive fish have been removed from the sea far south of Bahia, in about a month after the invasion, and brought to the Fishermen's Colony in areas outside of the Recife de Fora Marine Natural Park. Authorities are attempting to control a venomous predator that reproduces rapidly, threatening local reefs, native fish, crustaceans and fisheries, according to a report by CPG.Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific and have found favourable conditions to spread throughout the Atlantic Ocean. Combined with their high reproductive capacity and few natural control mechanisms, they have further invaded areas that support their expansion. Moreover, they do not have a specific diet. They can consume various marine organisms, including small fish, crustaceans and other prey.