Lionfish Invasion In Atlantic Ocean Is ‘Worst Environmental Disaster The Atlantic Will Ever Face,’ Fish Capable Of Destroying 90 Percent Of A Reef

The lionfish invasion in the Atlantic Ocean is having a huge and disastrous impact on the Atlantic Ocean. The venomous, fast-reproducing, and aggressive-eating lionfish are bad news for the Atlantic Ocean.

"The lionfish invasion is probably the worst environmental disaster the Atlantic will ever face," said Graham Maddocks, president and founder of Ocean Support Foundation. His organization currently works to help reduce the lionfish population in Bermuda, UPI reports.

Lionfish are not native to the Atlantic Ocean. The venomous, fast reproducing fish are aggressive eaters and will consume anything and everything, CNN reports. In fact, the lionfish are eating so much they are actually getting liver disease.

With no known predators except for human beings, the lionfish are capable of wiping out 90% of a reef, according to CNN.

As a non-indigenous species, lionfish are especially dangerous to the ecosystem because fish in the Atlantic lack the instinct to stay away from them, CNN notes.

The lionfish produce 30,000 to 40,000 eggs every few days and are sexually mature by 1 year old, meaning they reproduce very rapidly.

Ecologist James Morris with the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science said that while this may not be the worst epidemic the Atlantic Ocean has faced, it can turn into a disaster for the ocean, CNN reports.

Morris said the lionfish has brought a "big change in biodiversity," and it is what he called "the most abundant top-level predator on some coral reefs (in the Atlantic)."

Residents of Bermuda are trying to take control of the lionfish population. There are lionfish tournaments and fish fries, and you can see "Eat 'em to Beat 'em" T-shirts throughout the island, CNN reports.

"It's an infestation," Morris told CNN. "The Atlantic Ocean is a big place, but the areas being affected are extremely important."

Today, most of the lionfish can be found throughout the Amazon, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and in the waters along North Carolina.