St. George's Caye
PO Box 1234
Belize City, Belize
ph: 011 (501) 223-3022
fax: 011 (501) 223-7007
alt: 011 (501) 671-3483
linda
COMPACT recognized the importance of the Belize Lionfish Project and partnered with ECOMAR to promote a lionfish awareness campaign that would dispel myths about lionfish. Happily many fishermen, marine guides and tourists have eaten lionfish and it is becoming the new delicacy on many menus!
Funding received from COMPACT and...
In 2010 ECOMAR received a grant from COMPACT (the Community Management of Protected Areas for Conservation Program) which is affiliated with the United Nations Development Project (UNDP) Small Grants Program (SGP) Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Foundation. The funding would be used to enhance the activities of the Belize Lionfish Project and conduct a multifaceted program which includes monthly lionfish tournaments and outreach programs aimed at educating stakeholders on the invasive lionfish. The goal of the project is to ensure protection of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage Site.
Project goals and activities included the following topics as are outlined below.
INCREASE AWARENESS
Raise awareness on invasive lionfish and inform fishermen, marine guides, general public and visitors about the impacts lionfish are forecast to have on the reef ecosystem and livelihoods and conduct 12 Lionfish Outreach Workshops in:
Distributed at the 12 coastal community Lionfish Outreach Workshops were educational materials which included stickers, fact sheet, puzzle page and posters all about the lionfish. Many of the materials have been produced in both English and Spanish. At these workshops ECOMAR also tried to offer lionfish tasting but sometimes had difficulty getting any lionfish to cook. But when it was offered participants enjoyed the lionfish!
A documentary has been produced titled: The Belize Lionfish Project: A Local Response to a Regional Problem that documents the history of the invasive lionfish in Belize and how all stakeholders are working together to manage lionfish.
MANAGE LIONFISH
Garner support from stakeholders - fishermen and marine guides - in managing lionfish by coordinating monthly lionfish tournaments.
ECOMAR has been working with the Belize Fisheries Department to develop acceptable culling devices that can be used on SCUBA and to also prepare Lionfish Hunter ID Cards. These cards are in the final stages of development and will be issued at the closing ceremony that will be held in June.
The traditional sailboat fishermen are marksmen when it comes to shooting these lionfish and are ready to help manage the invasive lionfish in order to protect the traditional species that are harvested in Belize.
To facilitate delivery of lionfish by anglers into the Monthly Lionfish Tournaments, weigh stations were established with partners throughout Belize. These weigh stations and partners were key in making the monthly tournaments a success. Prizes were awarded to the Top Fishermen, Top Marine Guide, and Top Boat for the months May through November 2010. The most popular prizes were cell phones, ice box, and bicycles. Grand Prizes will be awarded to the overall winner and the Boat Category prize is an outboard engine, overall Fisherman is a stove, and overall Marine Guide is an Underwater Camera. These prizes are expected to be awarded in June 2011.
Educate key stakeholders on how they can become involved in protecting their future livelihood by encouraging restaurants to offer lionfish for sale and to encourage tourism associations to coordinate lionfish tournaments. On San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, the San Pedro Tour Guide Association and Wahoo Lounge in association with Coral Reef Alliance and Hol Chan Marine Reserve have organized two lionfish day tournaments and have received more than 500 fish each day. The Placencia Tour Guide Association and Southern Environmental Alliance organized their first lionfish tournament where again more than 500 lionfish were brought in.
CONDUCT SCIENTIFIC STUDIES
Many of the lionfish entered into the monthly tournaments were measured and stomach contents were examined. The data is still be analyzed but prelimary results indicate that lionfish are reproductively active at 6 inches total length. As such fishermen and marine guide are advised to capture all fish this size or larger in order to help control population levels.
Determine the source of lionfish in Belize through scientific studies and collaborate with the United States Geological Survey. Scientists in the United States studying the distribution of lionfish in the Caribbean have tested 70 samples sent from ECOMAR in Nov 2009 and they include the same haplotypes - H01, H02 & H04 - found in lionfish from neighboring countries.
PROTECT THE BELIZE BARRIER REEF WORLD HERITAGE SITE
Garner renewed enthusiasm and interest in protecting the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System and the associated marine areas. In presentations to the 12 coastal communities the history of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage Site was presented and details on which protected areas made up the park were included. Information on the Belize Barrier Reef World Heritage Site was also included in the educational materials prepared and distributed.
INCREASE CAPACITY OF THE CORAL NETWORK
Strengthen the Belize National Coral Reef Monitoring Network in developing the Belize Lionfish Management Plan. Meetings were held with Coral Network members and other industry stakeholders will meet to review and formally adopt the Lionfish Management Plan.
SUMMARY
The COMPACT project is expected to be complete be July 2011 and a closing ceremony is being planned to be held in June at the Bliss Center for Performing Arts in Belize City where we will:
Currently ECOMAR is exploring a Phase II of the project which will focus on recommendations made in the Belize Lionfish Management Plan.
Lionfish Project Coordinator conducting outreach with students at the University of Belize's Earth Day
Victor Forman being presented with his prize by Nidia Chacon, Lionfish Project Coordinator
The largest lionfish entered in to the 2nd San Pedro Lionfish Tournament was 34 cm or 15 inches!
Nidia Chacon, Lionfish Project Coordinator and Losita Lee, Lionfish Project Volunteer, sample lionfish purchased from fishermen for the outreach workshops
Lionfish and large prey found in stomach which belongs to the grouper family
Copyright 2011 ECOMAR. All rights reserved.
St. George's Caye
PO Box 1234
Belize City, Belize
ph: 011 (501) 223-3022
fax: 011 (501) 223-7007
alt: 011 (501) 671-3483
linda