Poisonous fish spreads along the Brazilian coast and threatens biodiversity

The increase in a poisonous fish species on the Brazilian coast has worried researchers as a threat to local biodiversity. The first appearance of the lionfish (Pterois volitans) in Brazil was in Fernando de Noronha, in Pernambuco, in 2020.

According to the research "Invasive lionfish spread through marine protected areas of the Southwest Atlantic", published by Elsevier, members of the Scorpaenidae family are native to the Indo-Pacific and spread, in the 1980s, throughout the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, even invading protected areas of coral reefs.

However, its arrival in the Southwest Atlantic, where the Brazilian territory is located, has threatened artisanal fishing, public health, including reports of researchers who were injured in contact with the animal, and other species in the ocean basin that are important for biodiversity.

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The transition of the fish would have occurred from the Caribbean to the Amazon River through the Greater Amazon reef system.

According to researchers, on the national coast the species was able to invade oceanic islands, mangroves, sea prairies, shipwrecks and shallow reefs.

Understand the researchers' concerns
Because they are poisonous animals and reproduce rapidly in large proportions, the food chain process typical of native biodiversity can be devastated, especially for endemic species, such as cryptobenthic fish, which play a crucial role in the productivity of the reef ecosystem. The research identified at least 29 endemic fish species that are vulnerable to predation by invasive lionfish.

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Despite identifying the harm caused by this species, scholars state that there is still not enough data to contribute to the necessary adaptations within the oceanic home. For researchers, this is due to a lack of government policies and financial support dedicated to research and management of this invasion.

Between 2020 and 2024, 18 MPAs (Marine Protected Areas) have already been affected, twelve with sustainable use, three marine parks, one biological reserve and two reserves dedicated to the protection of artisanal fishing. In the next 10 years, the species could be distributed across around 60% of MPAs.

"This rapid spread highlights the urgent need for coordinated management strategies to mitigate the threat posed by lionfish throughout the Atlantic Ocean basin.", highlighted the research.

According to ICMbio-Noronha (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation of Fernando de Noronha), the lionfish has poisonous spines and its capture must be carried out directly with the competent authorities, such as the institute itself.

*Under supervision of Manuella Dal Mas

Source: CNN