Why Lionfish Pose a ThreatLionfish are an introduced, or invasive, tropical marine fish that is originally native to the Indo-Pacific Ocean, but have now become part of the marine life throughout the Wider Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean. Lionfish spread quickly in its new range, as the map below illustrates.
The problem is lionfish are eating all of our native reef fish and scientists are concerned that our already stressed fisheries and coral reef ecosystems will become even more stressed if lionfish are not kept in control. Our goal is to manage lionfish by overfishing them, and eating them! Divers and fishermen are catching them to eat and selling them to restaurants. They taste like any other fish and make great ceviche, fried fish, fish balls, soup or tacos! For the most recent distribution visit the USGS NAS page
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The Belize Lionfish Project: A Local Response to a Regional Problem
ECOMAR and the Belize Fisheries Department work with stakeholders in Belize to manage the invasive lionfish, which is slated to negatively impact the Belize Barrier Reef World Heritage Site, thereby impacting the livelihoods of fishermen and marine guides who make a livlihood from the reef.
Project funded by COMPACT and GCFI. Produced by Richard & Carol Foster from Wildlife Film Productions in Belize. 22 minutes. |
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