Lionfish: Beautiful but Damaging Invaders from the Indo-Pacific
The lionfishes, known for their contrasting banded coloration and long, venomous fin rays, are beautiful and popular marine aquarium inhabitants. So what happens when they leave their native Indo-Pacific range and become established in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico? Join us, as my guest Alex Fogg - lionfish expert and Marine Resource Coordinator for Okaloosa County - describes the negative impacts of this non-native species and ongoing efforts to study and control this invader.
BIO:
Alex is the Marine Resource Coordinator for Okaloosa County, Florida. He led a Gulf of Mexico-wide lionfish life history study, collaborating with Federal, State and local governments, local businesses, and stakeholders throughout the region. Alex received his BS degree from the University of South Carolina in 2011 and began his work career with NOAA in Pascagoula, Mississippi, conducting fisheries surveys following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. He earned an MS degree in Coastal Sciences from the University of Southern Mississippi. Alex was project manager for the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Artificial Reef Creation and Restoration Project with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Artificial Reef Program. The project was the largest artificial reef project in the history of Florida’s artificial reef program and, upon completion, the program will have deployed more than 3,000 new artificial reefs across northwest Florida. Currently, Alex is involved in projects ranging from sea turtle lighting initiatives to beach restoration and lionfish management. He is an AAUS Science Diver with broad experience in offshore field operations and technical diving. He is an avid diver and lionfish hunter. In 2018, his 4-person team took first place at the Lionfish World Championship by removing >2400 lionfish in two days.