Lone Star Lionfish Symposium Hosts Public Forum 

GALVESTON — The public will soon have a chance to ask the experts about the spiky, venomous fish invading Texas coastal waters.

The 2nd Lone Star Lionfish Symposium will hold a public forum from 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at the Moody Gardens IMAX. During this forum the public can ask the attending experts questions about lionfish threats and management.

The symposium, co-sponsored by the Houston Advanced Research Center and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, will host partners from around Texas and the Gulf of Mexico on Feb. 15 and 16 to develop a unified, proactive and multifaceted approach to managing Texas’ lionfish invasion.

Other sponsors include the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association – Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, The Nature Conservancy, the Coastal Conservation Association of Texas and Texas Sea Grant. Participants include private industry, universities, government agencies and various non-governmental groups.

Lionfish have become a problem in recent years as they invade coastal and marine ecosystems in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. With few natural predators, they have spread throughout the region, reducing the number of fish, shrimp and crab species as well as degrading reefs. In areas of high density, they are causing both ecological and economic damage.

The public is welcome to join the experts at Moody Gardens located at One Hope Boulevard, Galveston, Texas 77554. Guests will enter at the Visitor Center building and proceed through the Garden Lobby where the IMAX entry is on the right.  The appetizer/drink area will be in the Garden Lobby.

Free online registration available; registration appreciated although not required before the event, visit our Eventbrite page.

All guests are welcome at the door. Doors open at 6 p.m.