A new study shows the vicious deep-sea Lionfish has grown in population and in size, UPI.com reported.

The fish is taking food supply away from its competitors and predators seem unable to control its affect on the reef in the Atlantic and Caribbean waters. Divers discovered the fish in a recent deep-sea dive in the Atlantic.

Researchers said their growth in population and in size is threatening other fish in the area and they are becoming too imposing for their predators.

The study compared the Lionfish to the Burmese Pythons of the Florida Everglades. They have experienced the same type of growth and now only have a few predators other than humans and alligators.

"When I began diving 10 years ago, Lionfish were a rare and mysterious species seen deep within coral crevices in the Pacific Ocean," said Serena Hackerott, lead study author and graduate student at the University of North Carolina. "They can now been seen across the Caribbean, hovering above the reefs throughout the day and gathering in groups of up to ten or more on a single coral head."

Sharks and groupers, the Lionfish's main predators, seem unable to control their growing numbers by either eating them or out-eating their prey. At this point, human intervention may be necessary.

The fish were discovered at 300 feet down and, as their population grows, they are bound to move upward in the ocean. Past behavior suggests they would continue their vicious and intrusive ways.

Stephanie Green, the David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow in the College of Science at Oregon State University, participated in the dives and contributed to the study.

"A lionfish will eat almost any fish smaller than it is," she said in a news release. "Regarding the large fish we observed in the submersible dives, a real concern is that they could migrate to shallower depths as well and eat many of the fish there. And the control measures we're using at shallower depths - catch them and let people eat them - are not as practical at great depth."

Green has been a part of the study of the Lionfish invasion for some time and said the recent dive was a breakthrough.

"This was kind of an 'ah-hah!' moment," she said. "It was immediately clear that this is a new frontier in the lionfish crisis, and that something is going to have to be done about it. Seeing it up-close really brought home the nature of the problem."