The presence of lionfish on popular wrecks is an environmental threat and a danger to humans, given the popularity of wreck diving off North Carolina, experts say. “This fish has venomous spines and may pose a danger to divers and anglers alike,” North Carolina Environmental Quality reports. Lionfish are a tropical fish, native to the South Pacific and Indian Oceans, NOAA Fisheries reports. It is believed the species found its way to the East Coast via aquarium owners, who illegally emptied their fish into the U.S. waters, NOAA says. It has long been believed the lionfish “invasion” began in the 80s off Florida, but a recent U.S. Geological Survey report says DNA studies indicate lionfish “may have been introduced in the Bahamas or North Carolina.”
