by Jen Chapman, Country Coordinator, Belize

Placencia’s 2013 Lobsterfest was more about lionfish than the traditional fishery! SEA‘s third annual lionfish tournament was implemented with the support of Blue Ventures and TIDE, seeing three dive teams remove almost 600 lionfish from nearby reefs. Data collected from the catch included total weight, stomach contents, sex ratios and size distribution. Lionfish population density surveys before and after the event will be used to determine the effectiveness of using lionfish tournaments as a means to control the ever-growing population of this damaging invasive species.

Below is a selection of the best photos taken during the day’s festivities.

All photos are © of Blue Ventures, Annelise Hagan and Gordon Kirkwood

Posted by Jen Chapman

Jen is our Belize country coordinator, and first started with Blue Ventures back in 2011 as a field scientist! She is leading our efforts to promote domestic and international export markets for invasive lionfish; an innovative market-based solution to reducing the destructive impact of this species on local reefs and fisheries.

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