The status and management of the lionfish, Pterois sp. in Trinidad and Tobago

• Lionfish densities within the first two years of the invasion range from as low as 10 lionfish/ha to over 300 lionfish/ha
• Lionfish demonstrated a phenomenal shift in modal size classes from 15-19.9 cm to 24-29.9 cm over a two year period
• The length-weight relationship (LWR) of lionfish in Trinidad and Tobago can be described by W = 0.0002L2.5654
• Monthly culling of lionfish resulted in a 30 % decline in lionfish biomass and 27 % in lionfish abundance

Trinidad and Tobago was the last Caribbean island to be invaded by the lionfish and since its invasion in 2012 they have spread to most coral reef and hard bottom environments. Standard reef fish surveys were used to assess lionfish population densities and size distributions from 2013–2015. Total lengths ranged between 6.2–40.4 cm and 2.2–950 g in weight. The length-weight relationship was described by W = 0.0002 L2.5654. Fish densities were highest in the northeast Tobago at 326 lionfish/ha and the lowest in the southwest Tobago at 10.5 lionfish/ha. In order to curtail the spread of this invasive species, a culling programme was initiated at selected reefs to regularly remove lionfish at monthly intervals. On the selected reefs 26–30% reduction in mean lionfish biomass and 25–27% reduction in abundance was noted compared to control sites (p < 0.05).