Stakeholder perceptions of red lionfish (Pterois volitans) as a threat to the ecosystem and its potential for human consumption in Quintana Roo, Mexico Evelyn del Carmen Carrillo-Flota, Alfonso Aguilar-Perera * Departamento de Biología Marina, Campus de Ciencias Biol ogicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Aut onoma de Yucat an, Km. 15.5, carretera M erida-Xmatkuil, A.P. 4-116 Itzimn a, C.P. 97315, M erida, Yucat an, M exico article info Article history: Received 6 January 2016 Received in revised form 25 October 2016 Accepted 27 November 2016 Keywords: Pterois volitans Public perception Fish consumption Lionfish abstract The invasion of red lionfish, Pterois volitans (hereafter lionfish), in the Atlantic Ocean has been a matter of concern among scientist, managers, and stakeholders. Managers and scientists of the region have responded to this invasion by promoting consumption as a measure of population control. The present study provides information regarding perceptions of stakeholders (diver-fishermen, restaurant owners, and fish consumers) related to the lionfish invasion as a threat to fisheries, as well as lionfish con- sumption in Cozumel and Puerto Morelos, Mexico. For both locations, all stakeholders perceived lionfish as a threat to the local fisheries and ecosystem, but diver-fishermen and fish consumers perceived li- onfish as a resource to provide benefits through human consumption; all stakeholders showed high willingness to taste and consume lionfish. The information derived from stakeholder perceptions can be a useful tool to better understand the socio-ecological context related to a biological invasion. This in- formation can provide key elements guiding management strategies to the lionfish invasion, and other marine invasive species, in the region. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Biological invasions are a driver of biodiversity loss worldwide, where human activities represent the main vector of dispersion of many invasive species (Vitousek et al., 1997; Rilov and Crooks, 2009). These species alter the ecosystem structure and function, which in turns originates economic losses quantified in billions of dollars. The agriculture, hunting, fishing, and ornamental trade facilitate emergence of biological invasions (Pimentel et al., 2001; Simberloff et al., 2005). Mechanical removal, biological control, or even chemical application, are alternatives to control populations of invasive species (Simberloff et al., 2005). The use of invasive species for human consumption has also been adopted as a population control strategy for species that are established and cannot be eradicated. For example, human consumption of invasive plants dates back to 1990s and has shown a certain degree of success (Rapoport et al., 1995; Díaz-Betancourt et al., 1999). However, consumption of other invasive species could have negative economic implications (Nu~ nez et al., 2012). This is the case of wild boar (Sus scrofa), hare (Lepus europaeus), and red deer (Cervus elaphus), which represent millions of dollars for hunting business and an expensive cuisine, despite the fact that these animals inflict ecological changes to terrestrial ecosystems (Lambertucci and Speziale, 2011). Recently, enhanced efforts to describe attitudes and perceptions of stakeholders toward eradication and control management plans of invasive species (Simberloff et al., 2005; Hulme, 2006; Bremner and Park, 2007; Fischer and Van Der Wal, 2007) have been initiated. A need has also emerged to involve different sectors of society in the management of these species (McNeely, 2001). Consequently, documenting perceptions of people involved in management strategies of invasive species is crucial under the context of obtaining interdisciplinary scientific knowledge (Seidl et al., 2013) for population control of these species (Bardsley and Edwards- Jones, 2006; García-Llorente et al., 2008). The lionfish, a predatory fish native to the Indo-Pacific Oceans, was introduced more than 30 years ago in coral reefs off the coast of Florida in the United States (Albins and Hixon, 2013). Although the aquarium trade has imported lionfish for many years, aquarium owners are ultimately responsible for the introduction of this * Corresponding author. E-mail address: alfaguilar@gmail.com (A. Aguilar-Perera). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Ocean & Coastal Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ocecoaman http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2016.11.027 0964-5691/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Ocean & Coastal Management 136 (2017) 113e119