[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 87 (Friday, May 19, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H4378]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                LIONFISH

  (Mr. GAETZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Speaker, in the warm waters off Texas, Louisiana, 
Mississippi, Georgia, the Carolinas, and my beloved Florida, a reef 
assassin lurks.
  Lionfish are an invasive species, with no predators, huge appetites, 
and exploding populations. Just one female lionfish will release 10 
million eggs during her lifetime. Each lionfish can eat 65 juvenile 
reef fish in one meal. NOAA ecologists call the lionfish one of the 
greatest threats of the century to reefs.
  Reefs support tourism, recreational fishing, commercial fishing, and 
our way of life. Lionfish threaten a multi-billion-dollar reef economy. 
To date, all efforts to eradicate the lionfish have failed. Bounty 
programs are uneconomical, and rodeos, while helpful, are unscalable.
  Today, I filed legislation to turn the tables on the lionfish. Our 
proposition is simple: Fishermen who slay 100 lionfish can earn one tag 
to fish red snapper, gag grouper, triggerfish, or amberjack whenever 
they want. Anyone who kills 100 lionfish has done their part to save 
hundreds, if not thousands, of coveted reef fish.
  The Reef Assassin Act costs no money and uses our natural resources 
to protect our natural resources. I encourage my colleagues to support 
the Reef Assassin Act.

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