Lionfish

Photo: Michael Cantillo · CC BY

Lionfish have colonised every overhang and interior crevice of El Planchón wreck, their venomous spines and bold striping making them instantly recognisable hovering beneath the hull plating. Introduced to the Atlantic via the aquarium trade in the 1980s, they have no natural predators in the Caribbean and reproduce rapidly, with females releasing up to 30,000 eggs every four days. Some dive operators at the Rosario Islands conduct lionfish culls on wrecks like El Planchón as part of active management, and the removed fish are served at local restaurants — a model that turns control efforts into conservation funding.