What is the Invasive Lionfish Project?

Lionfish were released in the Florida Keys by an entrepreneur who thought he could create a natural source of a very good eating fish for his restaurant. Lionfish have crowded out native reef fish and are destroying the local ecosystem. These animals have few natural predators for control and are growing well beyond the ability of the ecosystem to support them alongside our native species. Our efforts are to find a humane solution to effectively manage these invaders without the need for significant human interaction.  Dakota Research Labs will contract us to support gene sequencing of invasive lionfish populations in the Florida Keys.