The dazzling, colorful lionfish is a must for any exotic aquarium, but it has also become a major threat to the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean. "It's beautiful, but you have to kill it," said Mavi Escalona, a Venezuelan nurse and amateur spearfisher. "It causes a lot of damage and it's delicious!" The spectacular, striped lionfish with its venomous spines is a carnivore originally from the Indian and Pacific oceans that has now become an invasive species in the Atlantic and Caribbean, posing a threat to their ecosystems.

Lionfish terrorizing Venezuela. (2021, November 16). The Manila Times, p. B7.