[viewBag] title = "Efforts" url = "/lionfish/efforts" layout = "about-template" is_hidden = 0 navigation_hidden = 0 ==

As the lionfish continue to breed in the Atlantic waters and spread along the seaboard, divers are taking initiatives to address their presence. One of the ways this is done is by aggressively fishing the species. This helps to decrease the number of lionfish in the waters and allows native fish to return to their habitat, which alleviates stress on the coral reefs. NOAA encourages people to go out and fish as many lionfish as possible, however, this is not a reasonable answer to the lionfish problem. Fishermen will never be able to fish the species to extinction, so further actions are needed. Fishing the species does create a lucrative income for individuals in the Caribbean. Lionfish can sell for upwards of $20/pound due to its high popularity in some Caribbean restaurants. 

It has been recognized that fishing the animal in a traditional sense is not enough of a response. Due to this, some companies have developed methods of harvesting that are quite ingenious. One particularly clever solution, developed by Robots in Service of the Environment (RISE). This solution, however, is a tethered robot controlled by the surface and due to the risk to coral by the tether wire, the government's of the Caribbean will not allow the platform to be deployed in their waters. Our solution is to develop an underwater platform that operates completely autonomously, in order to allow it to be deployed in the Caribbean waters where the lionfish epidemic is a large problem.

      


Sources

[1] NOAA Fisheries

[2] NOAA Flower Garden

[3] NOAA Ocean Service