Winter cannot last forever despite the fact that the weather of the last few weeks both here and elsewhere would suggest that global warming is a complete misnomer. Look on the bright side, February is all but over and now there is March to look forward to.

And March can be good. There have been years when large numbers of jacks have roared into the inshore waters, bringing a taste of spring. This is a prime time to hunt for anchovies and fry as the bait species generally show up in advance of the other species that are associated with the spring and summer months.

However, in keeping with the foul weather of February, there has been little fishing effort. What there has been has been largely disappointing and the conditions experienced by the few who have ventured offshore have been confused and not at all conducive to working the bottom properly. There are a few wahoo and tuna out there but getting to them and then hoping to entice them to bite is a challenge in itself. Best left until the weather settles down and the sun comes out – a bit like “tomorrow”, as the song says.

This week has seen a lot of talk about invasive species and, near the top of the list, is the lionfish. While these are well known to fishermen, divers and just about anyone who spends any time on the water and there are efforts to eradicate them, it seems that most people really don’t have too much idea of what is actually going on.

Everyone knows that the species is venomous with spines that can cause an awfully painful sting. Most of the rumours that such stings can be fatal are exaggerated but don’t take this the wrong way. You do not want to be on the receiving end of the poison that is stored in the fish’s spines.

There has been enough in the way of publicity to prove that the actual fillet of lionfish is quite tasty and safe to consume. But, on the other hand, there aren’t too many anglers looking to go out of their way to catch these fish.

There have long been fears that the Panama Canal might allow some of the nastier critters from the Pacific to find their way into the Atlantic. Happily, the system of locks and the fact that part of the canal is freshwater has proven to be a sufficient deterrent to keep the sea snakes and other scary marine beasties out of the Caribbean and Atlantic.

What no one really foresaw was the potential for release of marine species from aquaria into the Atlantic. The evidence certainly points at that as the source of this influx. And then the real ringer was the success that the lionfish had in adapting to its new environment. Basically in a decade or so; really no time at all in Mother Nature’s book, the lionfish spread from New Jersey down along the American coastline into the Caribbean and out into the Atlantic to this tiny isle. Quite obviously, lionfish larvae can travel a good long way across open water. Given its success and the various currents that prevail in the Atlantic Ocean it is probably only a matter of time before they turn up in the eastern Atlantic.

In their natural habitat in the Indo-Pacific, the lionfish, or turkeyfish as some people refer to them, enjoys quite a range encompassing both tropical and temperate waters. This means a lot of space for them to expand their empire, as it were. On the other hand, they don’t always have things their own way. While they are voracious feeders on small fish, they are the prey of larger fish like groupers who don’t mind inhaling a rather slow-moving tasty morsel, spines or not.

And therein lies another advantage that the lionfish enjoys in this part of the world. Throughout the Western Atlantic, the number of large reef predators, i.e. groupers has dropped markedly as over-exploitation has taken its toll. Basically, here in Bermuda, most lionfish have little to fear in the reef world. This and their ability to reproduce in large numbers mean that they are probably here to stay and that they are likely to alter the structure of the reef ecosystem,

The thought of eradicating them borders on the absurd. There are too many and they reproduce so rapidly that there is no way that anyone or any group is going to get all of them. Even if they succeeded, it would not be long before some more moved in from one of the other areas colonised by this species. After all, Bermuda was not their first port of call when they got loose in this ocean.

They came here from somewhere else and undoubtedly will continue to do so. Introductions, accidental or deliberate all carry an element of risk as has been seen with the kiskadee, sparrow and starling. Measuring the benefits over the costs and often having to take into consideration factors that are pretty much unforeseen suggest that leaving nature alone is probably the best strategy. More’s the pity that our present invader wasn’t some fine snapper or grouper species. At least, that might offer some positive potential for food, not to mention some Tight lines!