The Original Creator of Wearable Lionfish Art

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Lionfish are not native to Florida waters. They are a predatory reef fish that eat native fish. They compete for food with native predatory fish such as grouper and snapper. Lionfish can reduce native juvenile fish populations. Lionfish do not appear to have any predators in Florida waters, and the numbers are increasing. Lionfish can have negative effects on the overall reef habitat, as they can eliminate organisms that serve important ecological roles (e.g. herbivorous fish that keep algae in check on the reefs). 

Because of their role in upsetting the ecological balance of coral reef ecosystems, the rapid growth in the populations of these fish pose a grave threat to the region’s coral reefs. Consequently, the region’s fishing and tourism industries, which depend on the coral reefs.   

These venomous, fast reproducing fish are aggressive eaters and will consume anything and everything, gorging so much they are actually getting liver disease. With no known predators — except human beings — they can wipe out 90% of a reef.