Pattern of lionfish envenomations reported to Texas poison control centers, 1998–2006

The purpose of this study was to describe a large number of lionfish envenomations reported to poison control centers. Cases were lionfish envenomations reported to Texas poison control centers during 1998–2006. The distribution of cases was determined for selected parameters. A total of 188 cases were identified. Of the cases with a known location of envenomation, 94% involved the finger or hand. The patient was male in 72% of the cases, and the mean age was 32 years (range 4–65 years). The most frequently reported adverse clinical effects were dermal pain (89%) and a puncture or wound (66%). The most commonly reported treatments were immersion in hot water (84%) and tetanus antitoxin/status (48%). Patients with lionfish envenomations reported to Texas poison control centers were most often adults and males. The reported adverse clinical effects were typical of lionfish envenomations, and the treatments were generally consistent with the recommended guidelines.     

Optimal monitoring and control under state uncertainty: Application to lionfish management

State variables in many renewable resource management problems, such as the abundance of a fish stock, are imperfectly observed over time. In systems characterized by state uncertainty, decision makers often invest in monitoring to learn about the level of a stock. We develop a stochastic bioeconomic model of marine invasive species management under state uncertainty. The decision maker in our model simultaneously evaluates optimal investment in monitoring and population control. Using a recently-devised method for solving continuous-state Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs), we find that the ability to learn through monitoring can alter the role of population control in the optimal policy function, for example by reducing control intensity in favor of monitoring. Optimal monitoring depends on the management context, including in our application lionfish population structure. The rich transient dynamics of our model depend critically on the relationship between the initial conditions for information and invader abundance.