The species I chose was Pterois volitans, which is commonly known as a lionfish or red lionfish. They are characterized by alternating white and red/brown stripes and contain venomous spines all over the body. Lionfish can grow up to 18.5 inches in length and are a species native to the Indo-Pacific region. Economically speaking lionfish are not regularly used in the seafood business, but are a huge part of the aquarium trade (Robbins). Due to the spines described above, there does not seem to be a predator that feeds on these fish in the Atlantic Ocean. This of course makes their invasiveness even harder to combat. Pterois volitans have invaded the Western Atlantic Ocean and the cause of this invasion is still debated. Theories of the invasion
