Brazil’s invasion of voracious lionfish has reached a worrisome phase

"Scientists are particularly concerned about the potential impact on native fish found around Brazil’s oceanic islands, including Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago located 350 kilometers offshore. These islands host dozens of endemic reef fish species that tend to be small in size and hang out in limited territories—“exactly the kind of prey that lionfish love,” says Hudson Pinheiro, a marine biologist at the University of São Paulo. “The chances of lionfish having a negative impact on these species is quite high.” The worst case scenario, he says, is that some go extinct." (Science, 8 May 2023)