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They are stunningly beautiful and a big draw for aquariums, but that's where the attraction ends. The Pacific lionfish has proved so unappealing to sharks and other ocean predators that a population explosion is threatening the delicate ecosystems of a new habitat: the western Atlantic and Caribbean.
Lionfish are relatively minor players in their native waters in the western Pacific, but in their new habitat they have been spectacularly successful and are already having a significant impact on the Bahamas and Cuba.
The problem is that they are as voracious as they are attractive, gobbling up vast amounts of young fish, particularly around coral reefs. Their victims include species that keep algae from overwhelming reefs already suffering from human-engendered destruction. They are also diminishing the stocks of food sustaining dwindling...