Category: Belize
Our work in Belize encompasses scientific research at the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve as part of our award-winning expeditions, and community-based efforts to combat the threat of lionfish to local reefs by stimulating new markets for this invasive species.
Water between the rocks: a volunteer’s experience of Sarteneja
Before heading off to the gorgeous but isolated Bacalar Chico Dive Camp, Blue Ventures’ Belize volunteers spend some time in the coastal village of Sarteneja for a more immersive experience of the country’s people and culture. This is Tom Smart’s...
Belioness: 15 women, seven communities, four languages, one vision
The Belioness lionfish jewelry group gather from across Belize to develop a shared vision for their social enterprise; United women, empowered communities, and a healthy, beautiful reef.
Counting for conservation: the Belize National Lionfish Survey
Science Interns Julia Rubin and Anna Simmons recall 3 months spent surveying 50 different reef sites across 5 of Belize’s marine reserves.
The Caribbean Spiny Lobster: our Belize volunteers learn from an expert
From fishery closures to how to measure a carapace, our volunteers found out everything they could ever have wanted about the Caribbean Spiny Lobster!
Life as a BV volunteer in Belize
Michael volunteered with Blue Ventures in Belize in November 2015. Find out about his experience from hitting the books to hitting the water.
Belief in the Reef!
by Marc Fruitema, Community Officer, Belize As we squeezed ourselves under the narrow roof of a snack tent, sheltering from the fifth squall to disrupt the fair that day, our spirits and energy were not to be diminished thanks to Pandemonium’s...
The insatiable appetite: Lionfish target the world’s most threatened coral reef fish
The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a beautiful fish. In its native range – which extends from the Pacific Islands through the Coral Triangle and into the Indian Ocean to the eastern coast of Africa – to see a lionfish on...
Turning the tide on marine plastics
Let’s set the scene, we’re on a beautiful white sand beach, dotted with palm trees; a remote tropical paradise, miles away from human habitation. As the tide retreats what’s that left behind in the strandline? Intermixed with the usual bits...
Spreading the word about lionfish!
By Winnie Courtene-Jones, Field Scientist, Belize Since their arrival in Belize in 2008, lionfish have dramatically increased in numbers and spread throughout the country’s waters, devastating the World Heritage listed Belize Barrier Reef. What better way than to help tackle...
Innovative Tools and Inspired Leaders: My Experience as a Kinship Fellow
By Jen Chapman, Country Coordinator, Belize [quote_left]If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. – John Shores, Kinship Faculty, 2014[/quote_left] It was a busy morning, and I was mildly irritated to hear my phone ring… again!...
Lobster with a side of lionfish
by Silvia Parmeggiani, Community Officer, Belize Despite the early start, the full sun was already beating down on us as we drive down the dusty road from Sarteneja, on our way to Belize City. Belize is a country of many cultures,...
In the making: the future biologists of Belize
by Winnie Courtene-Jones and Meira Mizrahi, Field Scientists, Belize Throughout this academic year, Blue Ventures’ staff team has again been working closely with the natural resource management classes at the Centro Escolar Mexico Junior College (CEMJC). This enthusiastic group of students...
Using the beast to create some beauty: A photo diary
by Silvia Parmeggiani, Community Officer, Belize Lionfish are beautiful but because of their exotic looks they are prized specimens within the aquarium trade, and are exported all over the world. But just like their name certainly suggests, they are also aggressive predators...
Staff Q&A with Meira Mizrahi, Field Scientist, Belize
In the latest instalment in our series of staff Q&As, we ask Meira Mizrahi, Field Scientist, Belize, some searching questions about science, conservation and superpowers… What is your scientific background? I gained a BSc in Ecology & Conservation at James Cook University, Cairns....
From salsa to merengue: Cross-border collaboration for a cross-border problem
by Jen Chapman, Country Coordinator, Belize One of the main focuses of Blue Ventures’ work in Belize is the monitoring and management of invasive lionfish, Pterois volitans. This Indo-Pacific fish was first spotted off the coast of Florida in the...