It's now a crime to breed lionfish. During a Sept. 10 meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted to acted to prohibit lionfish aquaculture -- in other words, activities geared toward reproducing the spikey critters.

Lionfish are an invasive species native to the Indian Ocean but since the 1990s has settled in the Western Atlantic and grown exponentially, negatively impacting native fish and habitat.

The policy changes will go into effect by Dec. 1, according to an agency news release.

Developed in coordination with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the new species management regulations include:

  • Prohibiting the harvest and possession of lionfish eggs and larvae for any purpose other than destruction; and
  • Prohibiting the intentional breeding of lionfish in captivity.

A scientific exception will allow research institutions that have gained permits to breed and cultivate lionfish for the express purposes of researching population control and explore ways to mitigate the ecological impact the fish have already had.

"Every lionfish prevented from entering Florida waters, and every change that encourages removal is a step toward successfully limiting the negative impacts lionfish have on native fish and wildlife," said FWC Executive Director Nick Wiley in a statement.

About four years ago, a campaign was launched to cut the numbers of lionfish in the region, according to media reports. Since then, Jamaica's National Environment and Planning Agency has seen a 66 percent drop in sightings of the venomous fish in regional waters.

Back in August of 2012, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved a temporary rule that waived the recreational fishing license requirement when targeting lionfish with pole spears, handheld nets, Hawaiian slings or other devices specifically designed for catching lionfish, also known as pterois, which are a culinary delicacy, but also have poisonous spines.

The FWC implemented several management changes during the latest session, including prohibiting the importation of live lionfish into Florida effective Aug. 1. The commission as well encourages divers and anglers to remove lionfish whenever they can.

The agency says members of the public can report a sighting of a lionfish by downloading the new "Report Florida Lionfish" app on a smart device or by visiting MyFWC.com/Lionfish and clicking on "Report Lionfish."