Scales

Lionfish originate from the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Sometime in the 1980’s, someone – possibly tropical fish hobbyists in Florida – released these beautiful fish into the western Atlantic. They found no natural predators, but they did find plenty to eat. Lionfish can swallow another fish up to half its own size. A single lionfish can eat dozens of other fish every day. A female lionfish lays up to 2 million eggs a year. Lionfish are a tasty dish for humans, but they live too deep for net fishing. It didn’t take long for this invasive species to start taking over. Enter Collin Angle. In addition to being a passionate diver, Collin is co-founder of the iRobot company, creators of the Roomba automated vacuum. Collin has a non-profit company called Robots for Environmental Services. RSE has produced Guardian: a 20-pound submersible robot that stuns and scoops up lionfish. I’m told you can become part of the solution in the seafood section at Whole Foods.