Climate Action Honduras Project #8274

Control of Lionfish in the Mesoamerican Reef

by Mesoamerican Reef Fund (MAR Fund)

Project Report | Jun 17, 2020
Continues support in Belize against Lionfish

By Ximena Flamenco | Project Officer II

Support continues in Belize, involving the Lionfish Working Group supported previously, Blue Ventures Conservation, an organization with almost ten years’ experience of working in the region on lionfish management activities, presented a project called “Establishing effective lionfish management in Belize’s fish replenishment zones”.

This project aims to manage the invasive lionfish population in Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve through the development of effective and collaborative lionfish control methods, providing a model that can be used in Belize’s other MPAs, as well as across the invaded range. Implementation of a lionfish control plan will reduce the threat of lionfish to coral reef fish populations in Turneffe Atoll, with a focus on fish replenishment zones, protecting biodiversity and livelihoods supported by the reserve. The Lionfish Working Group (LWG) will improve lionfish management nationally through improved communication and collaboration amongst diverse stakeholders.

The objectives of this project are:

To enable the participation of Local Resource Users in marine management decisions through quarterly Lionfish Working Group meetings.
To establish rules that allow lionfish control within fish replenishment zones across Belize’s MPAs system by the end of 2020.
To enable Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association to monitor and adaptively manage invasive lionfish by the end of 2021.
To regularly remove invasive lionfish in Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve, at sites and frequencies described by the TAMR 2021 Lionfish Control Plan, maintaining lionfish densities below the levels at which they are predicted to cause ecological harm to reef fish populations by February 2022.

The knowledge acquired through this project will improve the understanding of the status of lionfish populations in Turneffe Atoll, to ensure control activities are sufficient, and the protocols developed may be replicated across Belize´s marine protected areas system.

The project was foreseen to begin in March, 01-2020, but due to COVID-19, some activities were changed and/or delayed. Even though, in the midst of the pandemic, Blue Ventures continues to develop the activities they can, following proper protection protocols stablished in Belize and rescheduling the activities that need to be rescheduled.

All funding provided has been able thanks to your support and engagement with our projects.

We appreciate your trust in us.

We´ll keep you posted on how this project is developed.

The MAR Fund Team.

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Feb 20, 2020
Hunting a predator since 2011

By Ximena Flamenco | Project Officer

Volunteer working with BICA-Utila

Heading to the south of the Mesoamerican Reef ecoregion, we come back to Utila in Honduras. The NGO, Bay Islands Conservation Association-UTILA (BICA-Utila), manager of the Turtle Harbour Rock Harbour Special Marine Protection Zone in Honduras, continues hunting the predator.

In 2009, the first lionfish was spotted in Utila. Since 2011, BICA Utila has developed 13 lionfish hunting competitions known as “Utila Lionfish Derbies”, to fight this invasive species. These competitions allow BICA-Utila to raise awareness within the community about the risk this species represents to the reef ecosystems. Of these 13 competitions, we were able to support seven and with them a total of 1,820 specimens were extracted with the help of 415 hunters and observer divers. This was possible thanks to your support.

It is important to mention that all specimens hunted are delivered to the dissection team made up of volunteers from BICA, Reef Leaders, community volunteers and volunteers from other organizations (Bay Islands Foundation, Kanahau, Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center and Operation Wallacea) who develop conservation work on the island. These dissections are developed with the objective of collecting information that allows the manager of the protected area understand their distribution, diet, impacts on the reefs and proper management of the species.

Since not everything is work, BICA-Utila also develops a “Lionfish Cook-off” competition. Once all specimens have been analyzed, they are delivered to five restaurants (Neptune’s at Coral Beach Village, Islanders, The Venue, Mango Inn Bar and Grill and Mr. Peter’s Goods) who then compete for the best lionfish dish. This competition serves to educate community members and tourists on how the lionfish is a sustainable option for consumption.

To be able to make this activities a reality, BICA-Utila developed a work-plan that describes the steps to take for a proper development. The area manager also imparts licensing courses for lionfish hunting, so that all divers who participate in the derbies, have the proper knowledge of how to handle the Hawaiian sling and hunt the predator.

Because you have helped us provide support to BICA-Utila, in turn we have helped them with their financial sustainability, since the development of this competitions helps the organization generate income from donations to continue with their activities.

Thank you for believing in the work we do.

The MAR Fund Team

Caught lionfish

Getting ready to be dissected

Working together to analyze the lionfish

Winner divers of one Derby

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Nov 22, 2019
The National Strategy is in place in Punta de Manabique

By Ximena Flamenco | Project Officer II

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