On August 13th, Lad Akins, lead on REEF's lionfish efforts, was an invited presenter to the Caribbean Fisheries Management Council and other meeting attendees at its bi-monthly meeting in St Croix, USVI. The council is charged with advising the National Marine Fisheries Service on regulations and issues related to commercially valuable marine life species in Puerto Rico and the USVI of St. Thomas, St. John and St Croix.
Based on recent information coming from REEF's work in the Bahamas, the Council expressed great concern over the impending spread to the US Caribbean and beyond and what might be done to best address the invasion. Lad presented the current state of knowledge on the invasion and research results from REEF's collaborative efforts with NOAA, the USGS, the National Aquarium in Washington, Simon Fraser and Oregon State Universities, and REEF volunteers. Following the presentation, and numerous questions from members of the audience, the council made plans to further address the invasion with continued dialogue with REEF and initiation of a technical workshop to develop recommendations for the council.