The Bottom Breathers Dive Club document lists upcoming events for the club in January, February, and July of 2020. These include a club party in January, liveaboard diving trips in January/February and July/August, and attendance at dive industry trade shows in February. The document also discusses several invasive species, including Asian carp, green crab, sea walnut, North Pacific sea star, killer algae, veined rapa whelk, zebra mussel, and lionfish. Details are provided on the origins and environmental impacts of each invasive species. The document concludes with cooking suggestions for lionfish, describing them as tasty and healthy to eat.

1. BOTTOM BREATHERS DIVE CLUB
UPCOMING EVENTS
JAN 11, 2020 - CLUB PARTY AT ANNE AND DAN’S HOUSE
JAN 29 – FEB 6 NAUTILUS LIVEABOARD
http://www.bottombreathers.org/2018/07/23/bottom-breathers-
liveaboard-29-jan-2020-socorro/
JULY 31 - AUG 5 GUADLUPE ISLAND TRIP
http://www.bottombreathers.org/2018/07/23/bottom-breathers-
liveaboard-31-jul-2020-guadalupe-white-shark-cage-dives/

2. OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS
• Feb 8, 9, 10th 2020 – Chicago Travel and
Adventure Show. Lots of Dive resorts and
locales displaying their wares!!! Stephens
Convention Center in Rosemont
• Feb 29 – March1, Our World Underwater -
Chicago Marriot O’Hare. Dive industry Trips,
gear, and seminars.

3. BOTTOM BREATHERS DIVE
CLUB
Invasive Species
And a little cooking class.

4. INVASIVE SPECIES
Invasive species are animals or plants from another
region of the world that don’t belong in their new
environment. They can be introduced to an area by ship
ballast water, accidental release, and by people. Invasive
species can lead to the extinction of native plants and
animals, destroy biodiversity, and permanently alter
habitats.
Local Ecosystems and Economies feel the effects of
invasive species. Fisheries, reef systems, shorelines, can
all be effected.
There is a Global Invasive Species Database, of which 59
entries are categorized as “Marine”

5. ASIAN CARP

6. ASIAN CARP
• Asian carp are voracious plankton feeders
that can quickly dominate aquatic ecosystems
by gobbling up the same food that sustains
native fish populations. They have already
overtaken the Illinois River, where they grow
so large they have no natural predators.
• Expanding in the Mississppi.

7. ASIAN CARP (CONT)
• Asian carp cause serious damage to the
native fish populations in the lakes and rivers
that they infest because they out-compete
other fish for food and space.
• There are 4 types of Asian Carp - Black, Big
Head, Grass, and, Silver
• Consumable by humans

8. ASIAN CARP
• Often confused with common carp, but are very
different.
• They are filter feeders, not bottom feeders.
• Eaten quite often in Asia, thus not considered invasive
there.
• Hard to fillet due to a Y-bone structure.
• Low Mercury levels
• Tastes Similar to Cod
• Usually Safer to eat than most fish in the same body
of water

9. GREEN CRAB

10. THE GREEN CRAB
This European crab has been carried by ships in ballast
water and is sold as fish bait in much of the world. It now
has established populations on both coasts of North
America, in southern South America, Australia, South Africa,
and Japan. It is a predator of many forms of shore life,
including worms and mollusks. In some areas, the crab’s
voracious appetite has affected the commercial shellfish
industry.
YOU CAN EAT THESE!!! (Although reading the description
seems a little gross)

11. GREEN CRAB (CONT)
• Competes with Lobster and Crab
• Huge appetite for mullusks
• Disrupts eelgrass beds; productive
habitat for many juvenile fish species
• Can destroy beds of bivalve shellfish.
• Prime Suspect in shutting down Clam
harvest in areas of Maine.

12. SEA WALNUT

13. SEA WALNUT
This ctenophore (a stingless jellyfish-like animal) is native to the
east coast of North and South America. In 1982, it was discovered
in the Black Sea, where it was transported by ballast water. It
subsequently spread to the Caspian Sea. In both places, it
multiplied and formed immense populations. The sea walnuts
contributed to the collapse of local fisheries because they feed on
zooplankton that the commercial fish also consume. The Sea
Walnut has also been discovered in the Mediterranean, Baltic, and
North Seas.

14. SEA WALNUT (CONT.)
• Deadly To Fisheries
•Harmless to humans
•Creates economic loss to fisheries

15. NORTH PACIFIC SEA STAR

16. NORTH PACIFIC SEA STAR
• This seastar may be pretty, but it’s a deadly predator.
As its name suggests, they originate from
the northern Pacific region off the coasts of China,
North Korea, South Korea, Russia and Japan, and can
now be found in southern Australia, the U.S. and
Europe. They will eat almost anything they can get
their arms on, including a variety of bivalves, mollusks,
crustaceans and other echinoderms. This has massive
implications for the economy—northern Pacific
seastars are credited with an estimated billion dollar
loss in the fishing industry in Tasmania. Their massive
appetite combined lead northern Pacific seastars to
be named one of the world’s 100 worst invasive
species. For now, people rely on physical removal and

17. KILLER ALGAE

18. KILLER ALGAE
• The name says it all. This algae was originally from the
Indian and Pacific oceans and bred for the aquarium
trade, where its attractive color and hardy nature
made it a favorite of hobbyists around the world. It
ultimately escaped and spread throughout the
Mediterranean, likely aided through
aquariums dumping their tank water into local
waterways. The algae quickly forms dense
meadows that crowd out native algae and seagrasses,
restricting food and habitat for marine life and
causing immense ecological harm. To top it off, it’s
highly toxic to native herbivores, so control through
grazing is practically nonexistent. One study showed
that native urchins would rather starve than feed on

19. KILLER ALGAE (CONT.)
• Although there isn’t a widespread management
strategy, a California outbreak was stopped by
applying herbicide and covering the impacted
area with a tarp.
• A certain strand of Mediterranean Caulerpa
taxifolia was selectively bred for aquarium trade
and therefore is extremely tough. It is tolerant of
many temperatures and light conditions. It grows
on many different substrates and can grow in
waters as deep as one-hundred meters down.This
seaweed can live up to ten days out of water and
can spread with just one torn leaf.

20. VEINED RAPA WHELK

21. VEINED RAPA WHELK
A large marine snail with a beautiful shell, Rapana
venosa is native to the northwest Pacific, from
Vladivostok, Russia to Hong Kong. In 1946 it was
discovered in the Black Sea and later spread to the
Mediterranean Sea. In 1998, it was found in the
Chesapeake Bay where it was probably transported in
the ballast water of ships. It is also established in
European coastal waters from Norway to Spain, and in
the Rio de la Plata estuary in South America. This
animal, a predator on bivalve mollusks, severely
reduced shellfish in the Black Sea, but is now fished
and sold to Asian countries as food. Its role as a
predator in the Chesapeake Bay is being studied, and
it is expected to colonize other parts of the east coast.

22. VEINED RAPA WHELK (CONT)
• Whelks prey on clams, oysters, and other shellfish
and pose a threat to the Chesapeake clam fishery.
They may also compete with the bay's native species,
such as indigenous knobbed and channeled whelks,
and their lifecycle gives them some advantages over
the locals. While the bay's native snails begin life on
the ground, rapa whelks hatch as swimming larvae
that settle to the ground after a few weeks. This
allows them to evade some predators, and swim or
ride the currents away from where they hatched.
Once they do settle, rapa whelks grow their thick
shells quickly, giving them more protection from
predators than some native species.

23. ZEBRA MUSSEL

24. ZEBRA MUSSEL
This bivalve mollusk is native to the Caspian Sea, lagoons of
the Black Sea and their inflowing rivers. It lives in fresh and
brackish water and cannot tolerate full seawater. In the 18th
and 19th centuries, it spread through European canals,
reaching the Baltic Sea and many European river estuaries.
In 1998, it was discovered in the Great Lakes and has since
spread to many rivers and lakes in eastern and central
North America. The mollusk has fouled power plants, water
purification facilities, ships, and littered beaches with
decaying mussels and sharp shells. Large populations have
devoured plankton and decreased the food available for
commercial and game fish. It is abundant in the fresh, tidal
parts of the St. Lawrence and Hudson Rivers, and has been
discovered at the head of Chesapeake Bay.

25. ZEBRA MUSSELS (CONT)
• Zebra mussels were first discovered in the U.S. in the
late 1980s. The first established population was
discovered in 1988 at Lake St. Clair, which straddles
the border between the U.S. and Canada and which
connects to Lake Erie and Lake Huron. They quickly
spread across the Great Lakes, and are now present in
the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers. Human transport
has now spread them to the west coast of the U.S.
• Not much can be done, so prevention is the current
strategy
• Dive the great lakes and you see them everywhere.

26. LIONFISH

27. LION FISH
The lionfish, a longstanding showstopper in home aquariums,
is a flourishing invasive species in U.S. Southeast and
Caribbean coastal waters. This invasive species has the
potential to harm reef ecosystems because it is a top predator
that competes for food and space with overfished native
stocks such as snapper and grouper. Scientists fear that
lionfish will also kill off helpful species such as algae-eating
parrotfish, allowing seaweed to overtake the reefs. In the U.S.,
the lionfish population is continuing to grow and increase its
range. This is largely because lionfish have no known predators
and reproduce all year long; a mature female releases roughly
two million eggs a year.

28. LIONFISH (CONT.)
• Released to the area by exotic pet owners.
• Considered the top predator on most reefs.
• Have been spotted as far north as Boston.
• They are unlikely to be stopped, but hoping to control
the population.
• The venom (not poison) is only in the splines, near the
tips.
• You have to be stung by them to feel the effects.
Touching the splice is safe.
• https://nas.er.usgs.gov//queries/SpeciesAnimatedMap
.aspx?speciesID=963
• They Are Delish.

29. COOKING CLASS!!!!
• Not only are Lionfish tasty, they are very good for you
• The are higher in Omega – 3 and lower in Omega 6 which
is beneficial to your cholesteral
• Light flakey white fish meat, similar to Hog Fish.
• Remove the splines with Kitchen Scissors or trauma shears,
throw them away, and the fish is safe to eat.
• Fillet them as you would a snapper and your ready to cook.
There is a ton of You Tube videos for this. Choose your
own favorite!

30. COOKING CLASS!!!
Lionfish fillets are very light delicate white fish meat like Hog Fish or
Grouper. They take seasoning really well.
A simple salt and pepper or lemon pepper dusting and pan fry them.
Grilled with a Cajun spice or a Jamaican Jerk spice.
Foil wrap with some lemon and butter on the grill.
Two words – Lionfish Tacos!!!
And of course…wrap them in bacon because bacon is awesome!!
Other Ideas at
https://www.amazon.com/Lionfish-Cookbook-Tricia-Ferguson-
Akins/dp/0615428924

31. LIONFISH