At 08:59 PM 1/14/02 -0600, M. Wallace wrote:
> > -------
> > LIONFISH OBSERVED OFF NORTH CAROLINA
>
>Mark, wasn't this also reported last year or possibly the year before? It
>might not have been a Lionfish though but some species that was not
>native to that area?

It quite possibly was reported earlier.  And as Chuck mentioned you may
also have remembered reports of other exotic (i.e., non-native)
species.  Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a shortage of introduced
species in water systems throughout the world for one reason or another.

In response to Esat's questions:
>How many are there & do they constitute a 'breeding' population (gene pool)?
It's my experience that once an exotic is abundant enough to be found by
more than a couple folks, it's already a breeding population.

>What will their impact B on local ecology.
That's the $64,000 question.  And as we ecologists like to say: This ain't
rocket science -- it's a heck of a lot harder!  One thing you can be nearly
certain of -- once an exotic species gets a foothold it's not likely to
give it up.  Don't you Ozzies have a few rabbits runnin' around the
continent?  At least lionfish are interesting to watch.
-Mark B.