. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. DIVING FORLIONFISH ivers are ready. Dive, dive, ; On this signal, researchers disappear from the rear of the R/V Cape Fear several times a day into choppy blue water. They descend 120 to 140 feet in search of lionfish. The Cape Fear rocks 49 miles off Wilmington near the sunken dredge Porta Allegro — or what divers call the "Lobster ; With its many ledges, Porta Allegro is a favorite hangout for lionfish. "I think we are going to find out that they are very prolific," sa
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. DIVING FORLIONFISH ivers are ready. Dive, dive, ; On this signal, researchers disappear from the rear of the R/V Cape Fear several times a day into choppy blue water. They descend 120 to 140 feet in search of lionfish. The Cape Fear rocks 49 miles off Wilmington near the sunken dredge Porta Allegro — or what divers call the "Lobster ; With its many ledges, Porta Allegro is a favorite hangout for lionfish. "I think we are going to find out that they are very prolific," says Paula Whitfield, marine biologist at the Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research, a National Oceanic and Atmo- spheric Administration (NOAA) lab in Beaufort. Whitfield and her crew carry spears and specimen bags in expectation of a large catch of the invasive creature native to Pacific waters. The scientists lead the first Atlantic study on lionfish, a joint project by NOAA's National Undersea Research Center (NURC) at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and the National Centers of Coastal Ocean Science. IDENTIFYING A NEW INVASIVE THREAT Recent newspaper and online headlines sound like sci-fi thrillers. "Waters posing possible health ; 'Toxic lionfish spotted off North ; "Lionfish could turn up off Delaware ; Although a popular fish for marine aquariums, lionfish released in the Atlantic threaten local ecosystems and pose dangers to divers and fisherman. The lionfish is the first marine invasive fish known to have established itself in Atlantic waters, according to Whitfield. So far, only Pterois volitans specimens have been identified, but genetic studies continue. In the meantime, Whitfield says the lionfish is becoming the poster child for marine invasive species, already having been named "invasive species of the month" in June 2004 by the National Invasive Species Council. "This fish h
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