Diver shares jaw-dropping underwater scene that left experts in disbelief: 'I've never seen this many'

The repercussions of invasive species going unchecked have proved to be catastrophic to ecosystems. What appears to be a multitude of friendly critters can actually disrupt the natural balance of the environment.

In a TikTok posted in January by Lionfish Extermination Corp. (@lionfishextermination), a Florida organization dedicated to the removal of invasive lionfish, a diver shows a video of an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico with endless lionfish. "The lionfish just crowd around in such ridiculous quantities that it's absolutely mind-boggling," the creator says.

@lionfishextermination We don't have problems with Lionfish like this on the Atlantic side of Florida and the Caribbean. But in the Gulf of Mexico things can get out of control on artificial reefs! If we weren't taking these guys out every week for the past years and everyone else doing this, there would be so many Lionfish everywhere it would be just like this even on the Atlantic! ##lionfishextermination##lionfishhunting##savingthereef##showusyourzk##lionfishguy##discoverychannel##spearfishingdinnerisnotanimalabuse##venomousfish##cleaninglionfish##lionfish##floridaman##invasivespeciesremoval##nonprofit##alexthelionslayer##alexthelionslayer @@ZooKeeper@@Alex Borsutzky@@Nathaniel Sorensen@@Rachel Taub ♬ original sound - Lionfish Extermination Corp

Lionfish, which are native to the Indo-Pacific, started popping up along the Florida coast in the 1980s. Their appearance can be mostly attributed to aquarium releases, and they have only multiplied.

The lionfish has no natural predators there, so the over 50 species that make up its diet suffer, "including some economically and ecologically important species," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

If lionfish continue to overconsume native species, the outcome will be a tumbling food chain and issues maintaining clean water and food supplies.

Their lack of natural predators is where organizations such as Lionfish Extermination Corp. come in. They kill the fish or capture and sell them to individuals or restaurants to use as food. They can also use the lionfish as food for other fish, including catfish, according to a post on the Lionfish Extermination Corp. Facebook page.

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The TikTok showcasing the ubiquity of this species garnered a lot of attention.

"This is crazy! Thank you for saving our oceans," one commenter wrote. Someone else noted: Wow. I've never seen this many."

Another person said: "You do an amazing job! I follow you on all platforms because your footage is top quality and I love it! I live in West Palm Beach and I know how problematic lionfish are. Keep up the great work!"

Should we be actively working to kill invasive species?

Absolutely