A lionfish, the species of venomous marine fish in the genera Pterois, Parapterois, Brachypterois, Ebosia or Dendrochirus, of the family Scorpaenidae was captured by a scuba diver last Thursday off Anna Maria Island, giving a bad sign to marine biologists that the non-native species could establish itself.
The lionfish is a greedy predator that not only eat fish half of their size including grouper and snapper but also adult fish as their routine food.
If the lionfish reproduces in the area, imagine the potential chaos it could cause as it could easily endanger the symbiotic relationships among other marine species.