NEWS

Lionfish Tagging Round 1 is Nearly Complete

This groundbreaking research will improve our understanding of population dynamics and behaviour patterns of lionfish, which can be applied to develop resource management strategies in the Cayman Island and throughout the Caribbean. We’re excited to report that the research team has now successfully tagged 26 lionfish. The fish are all alive and well, and we have also just downloaded the first round of data from the acoustic receivers. The tagging process has been interesting and challenging from the start. The procedure is conducted at the depth of capture (from 65 to 100 feet below the surface), so researchers face limited bottom time, low light, and occasional current. Other lionfish often swim closer to investigate and there is a very curious nurse shark who would like a better view, or possibly a snack. The lionfish tagging project is supported by a grant through the BEST 2.0 Programme funded by the European Union.