Lucy Benson - What's the problem with Lionfish? The environmental and social impacts of the expanding Bermuda Lionfish population, and potential management strategies

In this episode of the Meliora podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton, we are joined by the excellent Lucy Benson who is studying BSc Environmental Science.  Lucy has spent the last year working on her Undergraduate Individual Research Project by investigating Lionfish population numbers and associated impacts around her home country of Bermuda. Lucy explains how the Lionfish population has changed in the Bermuda waters over the last 10 years, how  human behaviour has affected numbers, the scale of the environmental problem, the possible impacts on tourism from the associated environmental changes, and how can we better combat the issues. This episode continues our strategy of shining a light on the fantastic sustainability work of our students as we move through the academic year, with more yet to come!Recommended papers from Lucy:The life history characteristics of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans P. Miles) in Bermuda -  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10641-019-00877-4Invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. Miles): distribution, impact and management - https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-92735-0_48Invasive species diet: the ethics of eating lionfish as a wildlife management strategy - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21550085.2020.1848189?scroll=top&needAccess=trueGuest: Lucy Benson, BSc Environmental Science Year 3 studentHost: Prof Simon Kemp, Deputy Director Sustainability & Resilience InstituteEditor: Lily Killner, BSc Environmental Science Year 3 studentEngage with us on instagram / X: @meliorapodcast