Pascal Fletcher
Source: MSNBC
July 28, 2010

Miami, FL - As thousands of Floridians take to the sea to hunt for spiny lobster in the state's two-day mini-season, they are being warned by authorities not to catch under-size specimens or exceed strict catch quotas.

But no such limits exist for the equally prickly - but dangerous - lionfish, which wildlife authorities are encouraging local divers to capture or kill at will to try to stamp out the voracious invading species from Florida waters.

The gaudy white and reddish brown-striped lionfish are equipped with an array of flaring venomous spines like a lion's mane, hence their name. They are native to Indo-Pacific seas, but have been rapidly expanding in Caribbean and Atlantic waters, where they have few natural predators.

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