Open sores, lower numbers likely not invasive lionfish’s end

NEW ORLEANS, LA (AP) — A new study says an unidentified disease has caused open sores that can eat into the muscles of invasive lionfish and appears to have contributed to an abrupt drop in their numbers in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

But scientists at the University of Florida are quick to say it’s probably far from the end of the showy invader with long, venomous spines.

Researchers can’t say for sure that the sores caused lower populations, and they note that a rebound may already have begun.

The article was published online Tuesday in Scientific Reports.