Abstract Worldwide, biological invasions remain an unrelenting environmental disaster. In the last years, the Indo-Pacific lionfish, Pterois volitans, has become one of the most highly surveyed biological invasions in Western Atlantic Ocean. This predator fish has the potential to affect the invaded ecosystem due to its voracity, fast population growth, and strong competition with native fauna for resources, which in turn implies a threat to coral reefs. A common strategy addressing this invasion relies on culling, which requires systematic volunteer's efforts on given areas of lionfish abundance to be effective. Understanding volunteer's perceptions towards this invasion is vital to engaging volunteers in culling campaigns. Here, we analyze perceptions, based on open questions, Likert-scale type, and Damage Schedule format, of volunteers (diver-fishermen and recreational divers), towards lionfish in the Parque Nacional Arrecife Alacranes (PNAA), off northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. The results showed heterogeneous perceptions of volunteers shaped by distinct interests these groups have in the area, with diver-fishermen's concerns most related to their lobster catch and recreational divers referring mainly on uncontrolled tourism a major environmental problem in the PNAA. This scenario implies both groups remain unaware of the effects from this invasion on the coral reef ecosystem, but they showed willingness to participate in lionfish removals. A lack of robust awareness of these groups within a natural protected area in the southern Gulf of Mexico is of concern. We recommend further evaluations of users perspectives on lionfish as a threat and on lionfish as a viable market of consumption as strategy to control its population.

中文翻译：

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墨西哥湾南部阿拉克拉内斯国家公园对狮子鱼威胁的潜水渔民和休闲潜水员的看法

摘要 在世界范围内，生物入侵仍然是一种无情的环境灾难。在过去的几年中，印度洋-太平洋狮子鱼 Pterois volitans 已成为西大西洋中调查最多的生物入侵之一。这种捕食性鱼类由于其贪婪、人口快速增长以及与本地动物群争夺资源的激烈竞争，有可能影响入侵的生态系统，这反过来又意味着对珊瑚礁的威胁。解决这种入侵的常见策略依赖于扑杀，这需要系统的志愿者在狮子鱼丰度的特定区域做出有效的努力才能有效。了解志愿者对这次入侵的看法对于让志愿者参与扑杀活动至关重要。在这里，我们根据开放式问题、李克特量表类型和损害表格式来分析看法，志愿者（潜水渔民和休闲潜水员）在墨西哥尤卡坦半岛北部海岸附近的 Parque Nacional Arrecife Alacranes (PNAA) 捕食狮子鱼。结果显示，这些群体在该地区的不同兴趣形成了对志愿者的不同看法，潜水员渔民的担忧与他们的龙虾捕获最相关，休闲潜水员主要指的是不受控制的旅游业，这是 PNAA 的一个主要环境问题。这种情况意味着两个群体仍然不知道这次入侵对珊瑚礁生态系统的影响，但他们表示愿意参与狮子鱼的清除。墨西哥湾南部自然保护区内对这些群体缺乏强烈的认识令人担忧。