Read the following passage. Then complete parts a.
Lionfish are predatory fish who eat a lot of prey. They have very beautiful and interesting patterns as well as long, flowing spines along their fins. The spines are dangerous because they can deliver a poisonous sting. Lionfish are native to the ocean waters for Southeast Asia but not the waters off the coast North America. In the past few decades, fishermen and scientists have noticed that there are many lionfish in the waters off the Atlantic Coast of North America. People in North America, who probably bought the lionfish to keep as pets, ended up putting them in the water, and their populations grew rapidly. They are very harmful to the Atlantic ecosystem because they reproduce quickly, eat lots of native fish, and have no natural predators there.
(3 points)
Make a claim about the lionfish.
a. Claim: Lionfish must be
in North America because they are
North America and they have
on the rest of their ecosystem.