The spread of lionfish throughout the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and recently Belize has been monitored by ECOMAR.  The lionfish is an introduced or invasive tropical marine fish that is originally from the Indo-Pacific Ocean, but  has slowly spread throughout the Wider Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans.

In December 2008 after the first lionfish was observed in Belize, ECOMAR raised the alarm and in partnership with the Belize Fisheries Department began educating stakeholders by distributing Lionfish Toolkits that included posters, dip nets and fact sheets.

In the 2 1/2 years since inception the Belize Lionfish Project partnership with COMPACT and GCFI have helped the project grow and reach a wider audience in Belize.  Today many are eating lionfish and cooking it up as a delicacy.  Read below the history of the Belize Lionfish Project.

2008

In December 2008 ECOMAR launched the Belize Lionfish Program in association with the Belize Fisheries Department when the first documented lionfish was observed and photographed east o Calabash Caye at Turneffe Atoll.    

The early outreach program highlighted the invasive lionfish issue in efforts to raise awareness on the destructive nature of this invasive species and the problems that are anticipated as a result of their presence on the reef.  

2009

ECOMAR distributed “Lionfish Toolkits” to resorts on the atolls where the lionfish were being observed.

Throughout 2009 the numbers of lionfish reported in Belize waters steadily increased.  Initially, as Figure 1 indicates, they were observed most frequently on the three atolls, Turneffe, Lighthouse and Glovers, and near Ambergris Caye, but by the end of 2009 they were being observed all along the length of the Belize Barrier Reef. 

To lessen the impact lionfish are expected to have on the marine ecosystem, ECOMAR and other members of the Belize National Coral Reef Monitoring Network have formed the Lionfish Committee to define, discuss and identify actions that could be taken to manage the invasive lionfish in Belize waters.  ECOMAR, members of the Lionfish Committee, the Belize Fisheries Department and representatives from the fishing cooperatives and tour guide associations are working together to develop the Belize Lionfish Fishery Management Plan. 

2010

Lionfish are observed near piers, over seagrass beds, among mangrove prop roots, on coral reefs from 5 to 170 feet deep, and even from 500 deep where they have been captured twice on bait and hook.  Interestingly, their numbers are low in the Port Honduras Marine Reserve, which is located in the southern part of Belize along the mainland coast.

The increasing numbers of invasive lionfish in the Belize Barrier Reef World Heritage Site and associated reef systems are expected to cause additional negative impacts on an already stressed ecosystem affected by overfishing, coral bleaching and ocean acidification.

In 2010 ECOMAR received two grants two assist in promoting the Belize Lionfish Project.

In February 2010 ECOMAR  was the recipient of one of three grants administered by the Gulf & Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) Small Grants Fund (SGF), which is funded by the United National Environment Program (UNEP), United Nations Caribbean Environment Program (UNCEP), and the Community Management of Marine Protected Areas Network (CAMPAM).  The project funded was titled The Belize Bahamas Fishermen Exchange: Lionfish Management Workshop.  Six persons traveled from Belize to the Bahamas to learn first hand what the Bahamas was doing to manage lionfish and to interact with the fishermen that were capturing lionfish.  Four representatives went from the fishing coops, one person from the Belize Fisheries Department, and a representative from ECOMAR.  The valuable lessons learned were shared with colleagues upon returning to Belize.

Also in 2010 a grant from the United Nations Development Project (UNDP) Small Grants Program (SGP) Global  Environmental Facility (GEF) Community Management of Protected Areas for Conservation (COMPACT).  The goals and activities of the project will:

• raise awareness on this invasive fish
• educate key stakeholders on how they can become involved in protecting their future livelihood,
• determine the source of lionfish in Belize through scientific studies
• garner renewed enthusiasm and interest in protecting the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System and the associated marine areas.
• develop the Belize Lionfish Management Plan
• inform key stakeholders who earn their livelihood from the sea which include fishermen and tour guides,
• encourage the general public that lionfish are safe to eat. 
• conduct monthly lionfish tournaments to reduce numbers and promote capture and consumption
• encourage tour guide association to coordinate lionfish tournaments
• conduct outreach workshops in coastal communities
• inform the coastal fishing communities and general public the impacts the invasive lionfish may have on the livelihoods of those who rely on a healthy coral reef ecosystem.

While it was initially thought that a rapid proactive response to encourage fishermen and marine guides to capture all lionfish sighted could possibly play a crucial role in controlling and managing the impact of lionfish in Belize, the increase in numbers and extent of coverage suggested that the only way to control lionfish populations is for divers, resorts and fishermen to Adopt A Reef and keep this area clean of lionfish. 

Stakeholders in Belize are working together to manage lionfish.

• Marine guides are dedicated to keeping their numbers low on the dive sites they frequent by removing and easting their catch.
• Dive shop owners and visitors to Belize support marine guides management efforts.
• Our secret weapon, the fishermen from Sarteneja, Chunox and Copperbank, are eager to assist in managing lionfish since it will provide them an alternative fishery product to earn a livelihood from.
• The public and visitors to Belize patronize restaurants that serve lionfish, and request it at those that don't.
• Government departments issue special Lionfish Hunter permits for scuba divers to use lionfish culling devices. 
  
• Marine protected area managers coordinate lionfish tournaments in the no take zone of marine protected areas.
• The public is becoming more aware of the need to conserve the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage Site.
  

The first phase of the COMPACT Lionfish Project is culminating soon in a ceremony where the following will occur:

• the release of the Belize Lionfish Fishery Management Plan
• awarding the Grand Prizes to the overall winners of the monthly lionfish tournaments
• launch the mini-documentary titled: The Belize Lionfish Project: A Local Response to a Regional Problem. 

The project will wrap up by July 2011.

For updates on the Belize Lionfish Project visit ECOMAR's Blog or The Belize Lionfish Project's Facebook page.