Biology and Environmental Science

Lionfish are native to Indo-Pacific waters but were introduced into the Atlantic in the 1990s. These spiney fish have huge appetites, feed on native species, and have a mean length of 13.5 inches.45 Recently, invasive lionfish were found 300 feet below the water's surface off the coast of Florida. There was some speculation that these fish were larger than previously observed. A random sample of 24 lionfish was obtained near the sunken Bill Boyd cargo ship close to Fort Lauderdale, and the length of each was recorded (in inches). The summary statistics were x^‾ = 16.005 and s = 4.039.

a. Is there any evidence to suggest that the true mean length of lionfish in this area near Fort Lauderdale is greater than 13.5 inches? Use a = 0.01 and assume the underlying population is normal.

b. Find bounds on the p value associated with this test.