INVASION NOTE

Mayan diver-fishers as citizen scientists: detectionand monitoring of the invasive red lionfish in the ParqueNacional Arrecife Alacranes, southern Gulf of Mexico

Marıa Jose Lopez-Gomez • Alfonso Aguilar-Perera •

Leidy Perera-Chan

Received: 17 January 2013 / Accepted: 12 November 2013 / Published online: 17 November 2013

� Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Abstract Biological invasions research has increas-

ingly incorporated the participation of citizen scien-

tists to collect data for monitoring and management

purposes. This study outlines collaborative efforts

with Mayan lobster diver-fishers, who participated

voluntarily as citizen scientists in surveys, to detect

and monitor the invasive red lionfish, Pterois volitans,

in a marine protected area off the northern Yucatan

Peninsula, Mexico. We engaged these fishers by

building local capacity and awareness of the threats

of the lionfish invasion on the fishery resources of the

area. During the lobster fishing season (July 2010–

February 2011), 30 fishers collected 248 red lionfish

(9–29 cm TL) and recorded ancillary data (day,

month, depth, and approximate coordinates of capture

site). This collaboration not only allowed the first

lionfish detection in the Parque Nacional Arrecife

Alacranes in 2010, but the volunteer-based monitoring

effort revealed that the invasion reached levels from

intermediate to advanced, with more than 200 spec-

imens captured in less than a year. Our results support

the notion that engaging citizen scientists can enhance

research, reduce costs, and improve the possibility of a

long term monitoring survey.

Keywords Citizen scientist � Volunteer

participation � Pterois volitans � Yucatan

Peninsula � Gulf of Mexico � Red lionfish

Introduction

The red lionfish, Pterois volitans, is an introduced reef

fish that has spread throughout the Western Atlantic,

Caribbean Sea (Whitfield et al. 2007; Schofield 2010),

and recently in the Gulf of Mexico (Aguilar-Perera

and Tuz-Sulub 2010). This invasive predatory fish is a

threat to the marine environment in the region because

it is capable of reducing the native fish biomass (Green

et al. 2012). Physical removals may represent the most

viable alternative to control its population, at least on a

local scale (Barbour et al. 2011; Frazer et al. 2012).

Volunteer participation of divers has been essential to

identify invaded sites and collect specimens (Akins

2012). However, efforts encouraging more volunteer

participation, and providing adequate instruction to

insure proper lionfish removal and handling due to its

venomous nature, are necessary.

Biological invasions research has increasingly

incorporated volunteers to collect data for monitoring

and management purposes. Resource limitations (e.g.,

funding and personnel) to monitor many invasive

species by scientists (Crall et al. 2010) hamper the

collection of data at appropriate spatial and temporal

scales (Danielsen et al. 2005). By increasing resources

to detect invasive species, scientists may increase their

M. J. Lopez-Gomez � A. Aguilar-Perera (&) �L. Perera-Chan

Departamento de Biologıa Marina, Universidad

Autonoma de Yucatan, Km. 15.5, carretera Merida-

Xmatkuil, A.P. 4-116 Itzimna, C.P. 97315 Merida,

Yucatan, Mexico

e-mail: alfaguilar@gmail.com

123

Biol Invasions (2014) 16:1351–1357

DOI 10.1007/s10530-013-0582-0

chances of finding a given species while still at smaller

population levels, and thus more rapidly respond to the

invasion threat (Mehtaa et al. 2007). Consequently,

volunteer-based monitoring represents a potential

alternative to address those needs.

Non-scientist volunteers, known as ‘citizen scien-

tists’ (Cohn 2008), may provide the additional

resources necessary to monitor invasive species (Crall

et al. 2010). In this sense, collaborations between

scientists and citizen scientists have the potential to

expand the scope of research and enhance the ability to

collect scientific data (Cohn 2008). Citizen science

involves the participation of concerned citizens col-

laborating in efforts related to monitoring and tracking

common community (environmental) issues (Conrad

and Hilchey 2011). For instance, citizen scientists

have successfully gathered information critical to

evaluate the status of invasive species in terrestrial and

marine environments, such as reef fishes (Semmens

et al. 2004; Liao et al. 2010), crabs (Delaney et al.

2008), tuber moths (Dangles et al. 2010), and a non-

native Bumblebee (Kadoya et al. 2009).

In this work, we aimed to build local capacity and

awareness among Mayan diver-fishers from the

northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, engaging

them to participate as citizen scientists in collecting

red lionfish and recording ancillary information. This

procedure helped us to develop a database on lionfish

distribution and abundance, and also allowed us to

determine the level of its invasion in a marine

protected area in the southern Gulf of Mexico.

Materials and methods

The Alacranes reef (22�2104400, 22�3501200N;

89�3603000, 89�4800000W), located approximately

135 km off the northern coast of the Yucatan Penin-

sula, is the largest reef formation in the southern Gulf

of Mexico. It is a semi-elliptic feature (420 km2) with

massive coral reefs (Fig. 1) and five small keys: Perez,

Muertos, Pajaros, Chica and Desterrada (Chavez et al.

2007). Established in 1994 as the Parque Nacional

Arrecife Alacranes (PNAA), it is recognized as a

protected area. However, commercial extraction of

Spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, is allowed during the

fishing season (July 1–February 28). Most lobster

fishers in the PNAA, who mainly skin dive to catch

lobsters, are Mayan people from the Yucatan who are

grouped in fishing associations (‘‘cooperativas’’) that

are allowed by government’s fishery authorities to

catch lobsters (Rıos-Lara et al. 2007).

The PNAA has restricted accessibility to common

people due to its remoteness, thus it shows relatively

low presence of recreational divers in comparison to

popular tourist destinations along the Mexican Carib-

bean coast (eastern Yucatan Peninsula). During the

lobster fishing season, the presence of Mayan diver-

fishers in PNAA is relatively high (more than 100

people). During the lobster closed season, there is an

agreement among ‘‘cooperativas’’ to stay away from

PNAA and work close to the coast, thus diver-fisher

presence is reduced.

This work comprised two stages: (1) fisher education

and awareness, in which we provided brief workshops

about lionfish to fishers prior to lobster fishing season,

and (2) database development analysis, in which we

created a database using the lionfish records and

specimens collected by fishers in the PNAA. Details

of these two stages are explained as follows:

1. Fisher education and awareness Prior to the

2010–2011 lobster fishing season, we organized

three brief workshops in a fisher’s ‘‘cooperativa’’

where we provided the following information:

(a) lionfish biology and ecology, using multimedia

presentations we described the morphology and

basic biology of lionfish along with information

on environmental threats and on the chronology of

the invasion off the US coast and the Caribbean

Sea; (b) logbook delivery and instructions, we

provided printed logbooks for fishers to fill up

with data and instructed them on how to record

basic data related to each lionfish collection (e.g.,

day, approximate coordinates, depth, bottom

type); (c) safe collecting and handling, fishers

were instructed on how to handle this venomous

fish to avoid accidents (by spine puncture during

capture) and we described spine characteristics

and location, venom type, and first aid measures;

and (d) interview applications, we conducted

semi-structured interviews during workshops to

record fisher’s perceptions and document what

fishers knew about lionfish prior to this work. At

the end of the lobster fishing season, we con-

ducted another interview but to determine what

fishers learned after having participated as citizen

scientists collecting lionfish in this work.

1352 M. J. Lopez-Gomez et al.

123

At the opening of the lobster fishing season on

July 1, 2010, we visited the PNAA for 5 days to

verify and certify fisher’s lionfish sampling col-

lections. We also communicated directly with

fishers on board their vessels to encourage them to

collaborate further. Additionally, we received the

first lionfish samples captured by fishers during

their lobster fishing journeys. For the rest of the

fishing season, fishers were keeping lionfish on

their vessels frozen and they delivered the

collected specimens when back to port (Puerto

Progreso, Yucatan).

2. Database development analysis Using the infor-

mation provided by diver-fishers, we elaborated

an excel database on specimen numbers per site of

capture (approximate coordinates), depth, month,

and fisher collector. Eventually, we compared the

lionfish numbers obtained from the PNAA with

the criteria for the lionfish invasion phases

established by the National Oceanic and Atmo-

spheric Administration (NOAA) in the Florida

Keys National Marine Sanctuary (Morris and

Whitfield 2009) (Table 1). Fish specimens col-

lected were analyzed in the laboratory where their

taxonomic status was verified, following Schultz

(1986), and were measured (in centimeters) and

weighed (in grams). Additionally, we compared

their body size by month for the whole study

(Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA, a = 0.05).

Results and discussion

A total of 60 diver-fishers participated in the lobster

pre-fishing season workshops. However, only 30

fishers subsequently captured lionfish specimens.

These latter fishers were highly accurate identifying

and spearing the red lionfish, P. volitans. On July 11,

2010, the first red lionfish was collected in the PNAA.

During the 8 months of lobster season, volunteer

divers spotted and captured a total of 248 specimens.

Total length of the collected lionfish ranged from 9 to

Fig. 1 Study area: Parque Nacional Arrecife Alacranes located off the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Table 1 Criteria for lionfish invasion phases established by

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

(NOAA) for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

(Morris and Whitfield 2009) and used as point of reference to

determine the lionfish invasion phase in the Parque Nacional

Arrecife Alacranes, Mexico

Invasion

phase

Criteria

Initial \25 confirmed reports per year

Early [25 confirmed reports per year. Abundance low

(1 individual per report)

Intermediate [200 confirmed reports per year. Abundance

high (more than 1 individual per report)

Advanced [200 confirmed reports per year. Evidences

from resource protection strategies indicate

control strategies are no longer efficient

Red lionfish in the southern Gulf of Mexico 1353

123

29 cm (average length = 17 cm). The average wet

weight was 64 g and the weights ranged from 7 to

334 g (1 lb).

Based on the coordinates that fishers provided, we

constructed a lionfish distribution map. Most of the

specimens were taken from the fisher’s common

lobster fishing grounds in the PNAA (Fig. 2) where

lionfish were captured mainly within the reef lagoon.

There were more than 50 lionfish captured in the

northern area of PNAA at less than 5 m deep (Fig. 2).

Based on the criteria for lionfish invasion phases

(Table 1) established by NOAA for the Florida Keys

National Marine Sanctuary (Morris and Whitfield

2009), the invasion phase in the PNAA was classified

as intermediate to advanced levels. From the whole

study period (November 2010–February 2011), lion-

fish was evidently present in the common lobster

fishing grounds in the PNAA, and the body size

exhibited by lionfish was larger (p \ 0.05) from

September to November 2010 (Fig. 3).

Of the 30 active participant fishers in the study, 5

fishers (16 %) accounted for more than 50 % of the

total captures (Table 2). According to questionnaires

Fig. 2 Distribution and

numbers of red lionfish,

P. volitans, captured by

diver-fishers in the Parque

Nacional Arrecife

Alacranes. Circle size

indicates number of captures

Tot

al le

ngth

(cm

)

Months (2010-2011)Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Fig. 3 Red lionfish’s body size from specimens captured per

month by diver-fishers in the Parque Nacional Arrecife

Alacranes off the northern Yucatana Peninsula, Mexico

1354 M. J. Lopez-Gomez et al.

123

and interviews, at the beginning of the study partic-

ipant fishers (N = 22) showed some knowledge on the

lionfish’s attributes. Greater than 50 % of fishers

recognized lionfish as being non-indigenous, venom-

ous and predator (Fig. 4). Fishers indicated that

information was obtained from television news, and

also from chats with partner fishers from the Mexican

Caribbean where lionfish appear to be very common.

An important finding from the interviews was that no

fisher had observed a lionfish on the coral reefs of the

PNAA before 2009. During a second questionnaire,

8 months after the initial questionnaire was adminis-

tered, participant fishers (N = 16) indicated reason-

able expectations of acquiring benefits from having

removed as many lionfish as they could from their

lobster fishing grounds in the PNAA (Fig. 5). The

fisher’s voluntary participation in this work did not

appear to conflict with the time they dedicated to find

and catch lobsters (P. argus) which, in fact, is their

main source of income. Participant fishers were

willing participants and carefully followed instruc-

tions related to lionfish collection procedures and

sample processing (e.g., put fish in nylon bags labeled

per site of capture, keep fish frozen, fill logbooks with

number of reference, day, depth, name of the fisher,

coordinates).

The goal of this study was to build local capacity

and awareness among Mayan diver-fishers off the

Table 2 Number of

participant diver-fishers

according to amount (and

percentage) of lionfish

captured per period (month/

year) and depth in the Parque

Nacional Arrecife Alacranes,

Mexico

Diver-

fisher

Red

lionfish

Percentage Period

(month/year)

Depth

range (m)

1 15 6.05 Oct–Dec (2010) 1–5

2 31 12.50 Aug (2010)–Feb (2011) 3–7

3 1 0.40 Nov (2010) 3

4 10 4.03 Aug–Dec (2010) 1–6

5 9 3.63 Nov–Dec (2010) 1–4

6 23 9.27 Jul (2010)–Jan (2011) 1–9

7 4 1.61 Oct (2010)–Jan (2011) 3–5

8 2 0.81 Sep (2010) 3–6

9 8 3.23 Sep–Dec (2010) 2–6

10 1 0.40 Sep (2010) 7

11 1 0.40 Sep (2010) 3

12 9 3.63 Aug–Dec (2010) 1–4

13 9 3.63 Aug–Nov (2010) 2–4

14 1 0.40 Sep (2010) 2.5

15 8 3.23 Oct–Nov (2010) 2–5

16 7 2.82 Sep (2010)–Jan (2011) 5

17 25 10.08 Oct (2010)–Jan (2011) 1–9

18 9 3.63 Sep (2010)–Jan (2011) 2–4

19 1 0.40 Sep (2010) 3.6

20 11 4.44 Oct (2010) 4

21 2 0.81 Oct (2010)–Jan (2011) 1–2

22 3 1.21 Nov (2010) 3–6

23 1 0.40 Oct (2010) 5

24 3 1.21 Oct (2010)–Jan (2011) 1–4

25 36 14.52 Oct–Dec (2010) 1–5

26 10 4.03 Aug (2010)–Jan (2011) 3–5

27 3 1.21 Sep–Oct (2010) 3–4

28 3 1.21 Oct (2010)–Jan (2011) 2–4

29 1 0.40 Sep (2010 3

30 1 0.40 Aug (2010) 2

Red lionfish in the southern Gulf of Mexico 1355

123

Yucatan. They voluntarily became citizen scientists

and helped us to detect lionfish and monitor its

presence and distribution in the PNAA. Having

volunteers as participants in collecting scientific data

may have benefits to them and to scientists (Akins

2012), including improved science literacy among

participants and reduced research costs for scientists

(Danielsen et al. 2005). Some scientists remain

skeptical as to whether volunteer monitoring activities

are valid to detect and characterize the habitat of

invasive species (Brandon et al. 2003). However,

novice volunteers can learn basic skills needed to

follow scientific protocols when they receive briefings

or training (Penrose and Call 1995).

Local community participation is increasingly used

in research activities and management programs for

monitoring natural resources (Almany et al. 2010). In

our work in the PNAA, most indigenous fishers had no

previous knowledge of marine conservation issues.

Also, many of them had limited educational opportu-

nities. In fact, all participant fishers are from the

Mayan community of Timucuy, Yucatan, with some

of them barely speaking Spanish (mostly Mayan

language). However, language understanding was not

an obstacle to effective communication. During

workshops we showed photographs, videos and dia-

grams to fishers about lionfish, and used illustrations to

explain them the methodology and precautions when

catching lionfish because it is venomous. No economic

incentive was offered to fishers for participating in the

survey; however, all participants who caught any

lionfish and recorded ancillary data from capture sites

received a t-shirt and cap as gratuity. They already had

the ability to spear any fish, but after attending our

workshops they acquired the ability to recognize the

lionfish and safely handle it without being hurt by its

venomous spines (no fisher was hurt throughout this

work).

In the southern Gulf of Mexico, a fruitful collab-

oration between scientists and fishers allowed us to

detect and document the invasion of the red lionfish in

a protected area in Mexico. The collaboration with

fishers as citizen scientists must be maintained to

obtain a long-term monitoring program which may

indicate how the lionfish population is expanding in

the PNAA, and also to assist scientists in future efforts

to manage its impacts on the area.

Acknowledgments We thank participant Mayan diver-fishers

of the cooperativa ‘‘Pescadores del Golfo’’ in Yucatan.

Personnel of the Parque Nacional Arrecife Alacranes—Rene

Kantun, Yrvin Ramırez, Axcan Moreno—provided valuable

logistic assistance. Dr. Armin Tuz-Sulub helped in many phases

of the work. We thank Ximena Gonzalez, Kimberly Briceno,

Fig. 4 Percentage distribution of categorical answers to

questions (yes or no) related to prior perception in Mayan

diver-fishers on various issues of red lionfish. Q1 Do you know

how the lionfish look like? Q2 Do you know it is non-native to

these waters? Q3 Do you know it invaded the Caribbean Sea and

Gulf of Mexico? Q4 Do you know it is aggressive? Q5 Do you

know it is venomous? Q6 Do you know it is a predatory fish? Q7

Do you know it may eat small groupers? Q8 Do you know if eat

lobsters? Q9 Do you know if its invasion can be controlled?

Total number of respondents = 22

Fig. 5 Percentage distribution of categorical answers to

questions (yes or no) related to perceptions in Mayan diver-

fishers on red lionfish issues during their participation on the

scientific project as citizen scientists. Q1 Do you know lionfish

well? Q2 Did you learn how to collect lionfish during your

participation on this project? Q3 Did you collaborate on lionfish

collections? Q4 Did you have any major reason why you

participated in lionfish captures? Q5 Did you have any problem

at the time of capture? Q6 Did you know the threats of lionfish?

Q7 Do you think it is important to control the lionfish invasion?

Q8 Do you think the lionfish’s meat can be used? Q9 Are you

willing to participate in any program to control the lionfish

invasion? Total number of respondents = 16

1356 M. J. Lopez-Gomez et al.

123

and Evelyn Carrillo. This study was partially funded by

PROCODES from the Comision Nacional de Areas Naturales

Protegidas (CONANP).

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