Shane Gross / Invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans) which have taken over and are wiping out native fish in the Atlantic ocean. The highest densities are in the northern gulf of Mexico. Destin, Florida, USA.

Shane Gross / Invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans) which have taken over and are wiping out native fish in the Atlantic ocean. The highest densities are in the northern gulf of Mexico. Destin, Florida, USA.

Alex Mustard / A backlit photo of a British World War II BSA M20 motorbike inside Hold 2 (port side, upper level) of the wreck of the Thistlegorm, with lionfish (Pterois volitans). Sha'ab Ali, Red Sea. Sinai, Eg...

Shane Gross / Lionfish derby, a competition to catch invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans). One team caught 466 lionfish in a single day during the Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas, June 2016

Shane Gross / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) caught in a Lionfish derby, a competition to catch invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans). One team caught 466 lionfish in a single day during the Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas,...

Shane Gross / Scuba diver feeds an invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) to a Caribbean reef shark (Carcharhinus perezi) off Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas. It was once thought that if the sharks learned that lionfish...

Shane Gross / Scuba diver feeds an invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) to a Caribbean reef shark (Carcharhinus perezi) off Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas. It was once thought that if the sharks learned that lionfish...

Shane Gross / Scuba diver spears and invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) off Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas. Spearing is illegal in The Bahamas, however, a special exemption was made for lionfish.

Shane Gross / An invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) is fed to a Caribbean reef shark (Carcharhinus perezi) off Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas. It was once thought sharks could be trianed to feed on lionfish by feed...

Shane Gross / A scuba diver spears an invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) off Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas. Spearing is illegal in The Bahamas, however, a special exemption was made for lionfish.

Shane Gross / Sign for Lionfish drop off. Local fisherman are paid to catch invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) in the Caribbean to help reduce their numbers and, in turn, help the reefs. Image made on Eleuthera,...

Shane Gross / Mural painted on the side of a small grocery store on Eleuthera Island, Bahamas depicting how the fate of the Bahamian fishery is tied closely to that of the invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans). Eleu...

Shane Gross / Woman wearing a Lionfish (Pterois volitans) necklace in The Bahamas. The species is invasive and fisherman are encouraged to cull them.

Shane Gross / Jewelry made from the tails of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) Eleuthera, Bahamas.

Shane Gross / Invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) in a lab tank to be studied by researchers. Bahamas, September 2015.

Shane Gross / The tails of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) dry on a cutting board. The tails will be made into jewelry. Image made on Eleuthera, Bahamas.

Shane Gross / An invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans) and tourist snorkelers, The Bahamas.

Shane Gross / Invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) on the end of a spear. Florida, USA. February 2018. In order to keep their numbers low, scuba divers and snorkellers are encouraged to spear as many as possible.

Shane Gross / An invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) hunting at night off Eleuthera Island, Bahamas.

Shane Gross / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) over coral at night in The Bahamas. Invasive species.

Shane Gross / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) over coral in The Bahamas. Invasive species.

Shane Gross / Invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans) is caught as part of an effort to help coral reefs adapt to this new predator. Abaco, Bahamas.

Franco Banfi / Scuba diver hunting invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans) to feed to Crocodiles. May 2015.

Georgette Douwma / Juvenile Red lionfish (Pterois volitans) West Papua, Indonesia.

David Fleetham / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) Yap, Micronesia.

David Fleetham / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) Indonesia.

Bert Willaert / Pair of Lionfish (Pterois volitans) swimming over coral reef. Bismarck Sea, Vitu Islands, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea

Alex Mustard / Portrait of the rare Golden basslet (Gramma dejongi) photographed in front of a Lionfish (Pterois volitans). Jardines de la Reina, Gardens of the Queen National Park, Cuba. Caribbean Sea.

Franco Banfi / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) Tubbataha Reef Natural Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sulu Sea, Cagayancillo, Palawan, Philippines

Constantinos Petrinos / Turkey fish (Pterois volitans) juvenile. Lembeh Strait, North Sulaewesi, Indonesia.

Constantinos Petrinos / Turkey fish (Pterois volitans) juvenile. Lembeh Strait, North Sulaewesi, Indonesia.

Alex Mustard / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) silhouettte of young fish swimming near the surface, Beacon Rock, Sha'ab Mahmood, Sinai, Egypt. Red Sea

Tony Wu / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) patrolling the edge of Suzie's Bommie, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Alex Mustard / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) portrait, invasive species in the Caribbean. East End, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, British West Indies, Caribbean Sea.

Georgette Douwma / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) hunting Pygmy sweepers (Parapriacanthus ransonetti) Similian Islands, Andaman Sea, Thailand.

Franco Banfi / Common lionfish (Pterois volitans) Bahamas Bank, Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean. Invasive species.

Alex Mustard / Large male Lionfish (Pterois volitans) moves over the reef. East End, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, Caribbean Sea. Invasive species.

Pascal Kobeh / Common lionfish (Pterois volitans) hiding behind a coral, Sudan. Red Sea.

Pascal Kobeh / Diver above the reef with sponges, corals and Common lionfish (Pterois volitans) San Salvador Island / Colombus Island, Bahamas. Caribbean. June 2013.

Pascal Kobeh / Common lionfish (Pterois volitans) introduced species, Guadeloupe Island, Mexico. Caribbean.

Pascal Kobeh / Franck Mazeas, a Guadeloupe scientist shooting a Common lionfish (Pterois volitans) with a spear gun. Introduced species, Guadeloupe Island, Mexico. Caribbean.

Pascal Kobeh / Franck Mazeas, a Guadeloupe scientist shooting a Common lionfish (Pterois volitans) with a spear gun. Introduced species, Guadeloupe Island, Mexico. Caribbean.

Pascal Kobeh / Common lionfish (Pterois volitans) introduced species, Guadeloupe Island, Mexico. Caribbean.

Pascal Kobeh / Common lionfish (Pterois volitans / miles) above coral reef, Mayotte. Indian Ocean.

Alex Mustard / Close up portrait of female Lionfish (Pterois volitans) in the late afternoon, when Lionfish are more active. The Alternatives, Sha'ab Mahmood, Sinai, Egypt. Red Sea.

Alex Mustard / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) swimming in open water in the late afternoon. The Alternatives Sinai, Egypt. Red Sea.

Alex Mustard / Female Lionfish (Pterois volitans) on coral reef. Jackfish Alley, Ras Mohammed Marine Park, Sinai, Egypt. Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea.

Alex Mustard / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) swimming over bed of seagrass at sunset. Ras Katy, Sinai, Egypt. Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea.

Alex Mustard / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) sheltering on coral outcrop close to one of Stanier 8F locomotives that was part of cargo of Thistlegorm and now rests nearby on the seabed. Sha'ab Ali, Sinai, Egypt. Red S...

Alex Mustard / Egg sacs of a female lionfish (Pterois volitans). Females can produce two large sacs filled with 1000s of eggs every 3-4 days. A large, well-fed, female lionfish can produce 2 million eggs per year. L...

Alex Mustard / Partly disected female lionfish (Pterois volitans) showing stomach contents of nine small reef fish and a shrimp. Two large egg masses are also visible. Although native to the Indo-Pacific, this lionf...

Alex Mustard / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) fritters offered as an after dive snack. Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific, but introduced to the Caribbean Sea from aquariums, they are now widespread, abundant and...

Alex Mustard / Culled invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans). These lionfish are from a single day of culling, coordinated by the Cayman Islands Department of Environment, collected by 6 local divers from three dive s...

Alex Mustard / Culled invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) these lionfish are from a single day of culling, coordinated by the Cayman Islands Department of Environment, collected by 6 divers from three dive sites. L...

Alex Mustard / Pair of divers prepare to surface after an invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) culling dive. With collecting tubes filled, final lionfish are brough to the surface on hand spears. Lionfish are native...

Alex Mustard / Culled invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) on a hand spear. Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific, but introduced to the Caribbean Sea from aquariums, they are now widespread, abundant and a proble...

Alex Mustard / Diver (Steve Braodbelt) prepares to spear Male lionfish (Pterois volitans). Indo-Pacific lionfish are an invasive species on Caribbean reefs and are hunted under license to keep their population and t...

Alex Mustard / Diver with a speared lionfish (Pterois volitans). Indo-Pacific lionfish are an invasive species on Caribbean reefs and are hunted under license to keep their population and therefore predation level l...

Alex Mustard / Divers pose with the log of culled invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans), from three dive sites. Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific, but introduced to the Caribbean Sea from aquariums, they are no...

Alex Mustard / Culled lionfish (Pterois volitans) stored in Cooler with ice so that they can be supplied to restaurants. Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific, but introduced to the Caribbean Sea from aquariums, t...

Alex Mustard / Diver re-sharpens the points of his lionfish (Pterois volitans) hand spear. Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific, but introduced to the Caribbean Sea from aquariums, they are now widespread, abunda...

Alex Mustard / Culled lionfish (Pterois volitans) stored in cooler with ice so that they can be supplied to restaurants. Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific, but introduced to the Caribbean Sea from aquariums, t...

David Hall / RF - Group of Red lionfish (Pterois volitans) engaging in cooperative hunting over coral reef, displaying aggression with venomous spines erect, possible defensive behaviour, Raja Ampat, Indonesia, Pa...

David Hall / RF - Red lionfish (Pterois volitans) swimming over reef with soft corals (Dichotella sp. and Sinularia sp.) and reef fish, Raja Ampat, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean. (This image may be licensed either as r...

David Hall / Red lionfish (Pterois volitans) swimming over coral reef with Soft corals, from left to right (Dichotella sp.), (Sinularia sp.), (Nephthea sp.) and Hard coral (Acropora sp.), Raja Ampat, Indonesia, Pa...

David Hall / Five Red lionfish (Pterois volitans) hunting cooperatively over coral reef with Red sea whip colony (Ellisella sp.) in foreground and reef fish, Raja Ampat, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean.

David Fleetham / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) swimming over coral reef, Indonesia, Indo-Pacific.

Alex Mustard / RF - Lionfish (Pterois volitans) pair patrolling a coral reef at sunset, Tubbataha Atolls, Palawan, Philippines, Sulu Sea. (This image may be licensed either as rights managed or royalty free.)

David Fleetham / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) swims among Acyonarian soft coral (Alcyonacea), Fiji, Pacific Ocean.

Fred Bavendam / Poison ocellate octopus (Amphioctopus siamensis) hiding from approaching Lionfish (Pterois volitans) among the branches of a sponge, Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. Some backscatter d...

Franco Banfi / Red firefish (Pterois volitans) inside a small cave feeding on small school of glass fish, Sinai Peninsula, Red Sea, Egypt.

Franco Banfi / Red firefish (Pterois volitans) on the reef, Ras Mohammed, Sinai Peninsula, Red Sea, Egypt.

Georgette Douwma / Tropical reef fish composite image on black background, Thornback cowfish (Lactoria fornasini), Red lionfish (Pterois volitans), Devilfish (Inimicus didactylus), Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kaud...

Henley Spiers / Red lionfish (Pterois volitans) swimming near water surface, Cebu, Philippines, Pacific Ocean.

Magnus Lundgren / Red lionfish (Pterois volitans) close-up of the striped body showing scales detail, Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean.

Tony Wu / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) patrolling the edge of Suzie's Bommie, a healthy reef and popular dive site accessible from Lololata Island Resort near Port Moresby, Coral Sea, Papua New Guinea.

Alex Mustard / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) chasing a school of Hardyhead silverside (Atherinomorus lacunosus) beneath Berenice Jetty, Gulf of Aqaba, Jordan.

Alex Mustard / A young Lionfish (Pterois volitans) swimming near the surface (hunting silversides, not pictured) close to dusk, Beacon Rock, Sha'ab Mahmood, Sinai, Egypt, Red Sea.

Alex Mustard / Close up of a Lionfish (Pterois volitans) during a hunt, Salawati Island, Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Ceram Sea.

David Fleetham / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) on coral reef wall, South Pacific, Fiji.

Shane Gross / Red lionfish (Pterois volitans) hunting Moluccan cardinal fish (Apogon moluccensis) in Tape grass (Enhalus acoroides) seagrass bed. North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Shane Gross / Red lionfish (Pterois volitans), two on sea floor beside Crocodile fish (Cymbacephalus beauforti), an ambush predator camouflaged and hidden. Marsa Alam, Egypt.

Frederique Olivier / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) above coral, swimming in current, Uepi Island, Solomon Islands.

Frederique Olivier / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) swimming over a coral reef, Uepi Island, Solomon Islands.

Frederique Olivier / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) above coral, swimming in current, Uepi Island, Solomon Islands.

David Fleetham / Underwater photographer lines up on two Lionfish (Pterois volitans) resting in a sponge, Indonesia.

David Fleetham / Lionfish (Pterois volitans) in white polyp black coral, Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia.

Shane Gross / Red lionfish (Pterois volitans) swimming under a coral ledge, Palau.

Georgette Douwma / Juvenile Common lionfish (Pterois volitans). Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia.

Georgette Douwma / Common lionfish (Pterois volitans) hunting cardinalfish over coral reef. Andaman Sea, Thailand.