Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsScientists Create Robotic Terminator To Hunt 'Darwin's Nightmare' Fish
http://gizmodo.com/scientists-create-robotic-terminator-to-hunt-darwins-ni-1786175940Hordes of lionfish have been roaming the Atlantic for several decades now, and their voracious appetiteand lack of natural predatorshas seriously upset the ecological balance of those waters. Now theres a new foundation devoted to building robots to hunt them downa Terminator for lionfish.
The prototypes under development are technically cousins to robotic vacuum cleaners, because iRobot CEO Colin Angle is one of the founders of Robots in the Service of the Environment (RISE). He and his wife, biochemist Erika Ebbel, were visiting friends in Bermuda, and the group went diving one day, along with a marine specimen collector named Chris Flook. It was Flook who regaled with with stories of the invasive lionfish, and RISE was borna sky net for lionfish.
Lionfish have been dubbed Darwins nightmare because of their tremendous adaptability. They are flexible in what they eat, they can thrive in many different environments (salt water or fresh, cold water or warm), and they reproduce like crazy, all year round, rather than having a particular breeding season. Plus they have venomous spikes, discouraging potential predators from eating them in turn.
That makes lionfish a particularly problematic invasive species. Originally from the Indo-Pacific region, the bright stripes and frilly fins of the lionfish made it a popular choice for exotic pet owners. Those same owners likely dumped adult lionfish into public waters in the mid-1980s, and the species reproduced like gangbusters, with devastating ecological results.
----------------------------------------------------------------
I think governments should start paying good money for people to hunt these SOB's down.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
4 replies, 846 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (1)
ReplyReply to this post
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Scientists Create Robotic Terminator To Hunt 'Darwin's Nightmare' Fish (Original Post)
FLPanhandle
Sep 2016
OP
Vogon_Glory
(9,127 posts)1. Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate! n/t
tandem5
(2,072 posts)2. "problematic invasive species" that has a "lack of natural predators and has seriously upset
the ecological balance."
Wait are we Darwin's nightmare? Cue Keanu Reeves...
quaker bill
(8,224 posts)3. They are tasty and very easy to catch
divers gig them and can clean up a school of them very quickly. They apparently have no fear of predators, and do not run and hide. So the divers just pick then off one at a time until their bag is full. A diver can make hundreds of dollars each dive selling them to restaurants and fish markets.
I think the answer is in the fryer.
roamer65
(36,747 posts)4. If they go good with tartar sauce, I'm in. N/t