Swimming With The Fishes: You’ll Never Guess What They Found In Long Island Waters

For those of you that enjoy the great outdoors including swimming, fishing, and many other water activities and sports, the last thing you’d expect to find in Long Island waters is exotic animals native to the Pacific.

But, that’s exactly what many have been finding in the waters along our shores. In fact, divers have reported finding literally hundred of exotic lionfish and alien tropical species with vividly coloured stripes and an usual array of venomous spines. And, they note that they expect that there are literally thousands more where these came from.

Divers classify the “phenomenon” as a population explosion and suggest that apart their curious presence in waters so far from home, it raises question and concerns about effects on the ecosystem, including potential peril to domestic fish and dangers to swimmers and other sea lovers.

According to biologists a key concern is what they are eating and where they are establishing “residence”. But, at the current moment, they are definitely attracting attention at the aquarium.

Yet, in the wild, even “babies” are “dangerous” as even in the juvenile stage, the specie’s hollow hypodermic-like spines and venom-filled sacs can result in nasty but not deadly stings. And, experts suggest immediate medial attention and immersion of the wound in hot water to abate the venom.

The local lionfish were discovered in the bays along Suffolk’s South Shore, but not in open waters, so bathers (at major beaches) were not at risk. And, even in the bays, the fish tend to gather along underwater rocks or piling, so, it’s unlikely that waders will run into or step on any.

Lionfish grow to approximately 18 inches and have no know predators in the wild.