I hate seeing articles like this - they make us all look bad!! Who the heck releases their fish back into the ocean??? 
:yell: and the wrong ocean even .... grrr
Tropical fish from Pacific show up off South Florida coast - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Tropical fish from Pacific show up off South Florida coast
By David Fleshler
2:40 p.m. EST, November 30, 2011
Could one of these species be the next lionfish? Three non-native tropical fish have reappeared off the southeast Florida coast, years after they had last been seen, according to a news release from the U.S. Geological Survey.
A yellow tang, a native of the northwest and central Pacific Ocean, was spotted off the coast of Pompano Beach this year, after previous sightings of Pompano, Delray Beach and Boca Raton. The panther grouper, a spotted fish with large wavy fins native to the Indian and Pacific oceans, appeared off West Palm Beach. And the spotted scat, also native to the Indian and Pacific oceans, which has venomous spines, was caught in three feet of water near the St. Lucie Inlet.
All these fish are thought to have been released by aquarium hobbyists.
Many non-native species come and go without causing damage. But a few like the lionfish, which is multiplying around South Florida’s coral reefs and gobbling up fish, establish themselves securely and begin crowding out native species.
“With any non-native species released into the wild, the concern is the possibility of them reproducing and spreading, ” said USGS biologist Pam Schofield, who tracks the occurrence of non-native marine fishes through the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database, according to the news release. “So far, the only non-native marine fish to demonstrate that ability in Florida has been the lionfish…and that has become an invasive species, spreading quickly throughout the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, as well as the across the Caribbean.”
“It is important to detect and remove non-native species as soon as possible, hopefully before they are able to reproduce and spread,” said Schofield. “Once a species becomes established, it is nearly impossible to eradicate. We hope that our early detection and rapid response efforts will reduce the likelihood of another situation like the lionfish.”
Copyright © 2011, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
:yell: and the wrong ocean even .... grrrTropical fish from Pacific show up off South Florida coast - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Tropical fish from Pacific show up off South Florida coast
By David Fleshler
2:40 p.m. EST, November 30, 2011
Could one of these species be the next lionfish? Three non-native tropical fish have reappeared off the southeast Florida coast, years after they had last been seen, according to a news release from the U.S. Geological Survey.
A yellow tang, a native of the northwest and central Pacific Ocean, was spotted off the coast of Pompano Beach this year, after previous sightings of Pompano, Delray Beach and Boca Raton. The panther grouper, a spotted fish with large wavy fins native to the Indian and Pacific oceans, appeared off West Palm Beach. And the spotted scat, also native to the Indian and Pacific oceans, which has venomous spines, was caught in three feet of water near the St. Lucie Inlet.
All these fish are thought to have been released by aquarium hobbyists.
Many non-native species come and go without causing damage. But a few like the lionfish, which is multiplying around South Florida’s coral reefs and gobbling up fish, establish themselves securely and begin crowding out native species.
“With any non-native species released into the wild, the concern is the possibility of them reproducing and spreading, ” said USGS biologist Pam Schofield, who tracks the occurrence of non-native marine fishes through the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database, according to the news release. “So far, the only non-native marine fish to demonstrate that ability in Florida has been the lionfish…and that has become an invasive species, spreading quickly throughout the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, as well as the across the Caribbean.”
“It is important to detect and remove non-native species as soon as possible, hopefully before they are able to reproduce and spread,” said Schofield. “Once a species becomes established, it is nearly impossible to eradicate. We hope that our early detection and rapid response efforts will reduce the likelihood of another situation like the lionfish.”
Copyright © 2011, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
