Why are invasive species dangerous to the environment?

Invasive lionfish have devastating effects on native species and ecosystems in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, but killer-robot technology offers a new way to rebuild balance.

Originally native to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, experts believe exotic pet owners released lionfish into public waters around Florida beaches in the 1980s. Without any natural predators, the lionfish population grew rapidly with dire environmental results. Their insatiable appetites decimate fish integral to maintaining reef health in the region.

Curbing the species’ growth has become a focus in places like Bermuda.

A company called Robots in Service of the Environment, or RISE, recruited a team of researchers and engineers to design a robot to kill lionfish without harming other fish nearby. It’s called “electro-fishing technique,” according to RISE’s Geoffrey Gardner.

“If you put the lionfish between two electrodes and apply an electric current, that current kills the lionfish or stuns the lionfish,” Gardner said.

While this may offer hope for the species at risk due to lionfish, the strategy is controversial because it involves killing living creatures.

James Morris of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration argues that killing lionfish is necessary and the focus should be on the dangers of introducing new animals to different environments.

“If we’re looking for an ethical question, it’s the one behind introducing non-native species and the impacts that it has on the region and the biodiversity of these very important places,” he said.