Unknown. (2016, August 26). Lionfish-zapping robot offers solution to invasive species. Retrieved August 28, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/daily_videos/lionfish-zapping-robot-offers-solution-to-invasive-species/
Invasive lionfish have completely devastated oceanic habitats in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea and have wiped out a drastic amount of the juvenile fish population in those areas which takes a major toll on the surrounding environment. It is believed that lionfish spread to these waters due to people dumping their pet lionfish off of the southern Florida coast. A company by the name of RISE, or Robots in Service of the Environment, have created a way to stun and kill the lionfish with an electrical shock without harming fish in the surrounding areas. This will help to eliminate the invasive lionfish species while preserving the surrounding life.
This article shows how, yet again, people’s ignorance has led to non-native species causing major damage to foreign environments. It relates to environmental science because it talks about how scientists are adapting and getting rid of the species hurting certain environments and how environments can be completely wrecked by non-native species. I think that it is inhumane to try and kill all of the lionfish, seeing as they are unaware of all the damage they are causing and just trying to live. However, I understand that in order to preserve native species and their habitat these actions are necessary. I also think that the invention is cool, and that it can stun the lionfish with electricity without affecting anything around it.
Do you think it is okay to kill one species only for the benefit of another?
In general, I wouldn’t agree with that, but I think in this case it is okay because the lion fish are invading and threatening the native species in the Atlantic and Caribbean Sea.
Its too bad that lion fish got into the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic ocean, (I was wondering how exactly, that happened). I think that as long as there is a population of lion fish that is prosperous in an area that isn’t offsetting the balance of an ecosystem then it would be appropriate to kill the lion fish in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
Lion fish originally got into the Atlantic Sea and Caribbean Ocean as a result of people’s dumping of their pet lion fish into the ocean. I agree with you and think that as long as there are other successful populations of lion fish in the wild, then it is okay to wipe out the harmful population.
I agree with RISE in killing the invasive lion fish because it would only stabilize the population and as the article mentioned it is done humanely.
Me too!
It;s interesting to see, once again, the two sides of the argument in whether to kill this invasive species or let it live. I feel like if there was some compromise, some way to create a habitat for the lion fish to live in, it might serve as a good alternative to killing them all.
I agree with you that relocating the lion fish would be a better option, but there are way too many lion fish that are invading native habitats in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Saying that, it would be very hard to relocate the majority, if not all of the invasive lion fish somewhere else.