Who we are
MISSION
The mission of this non-profit is to research, educate, train and implement strategies to protect the reefs of the Western Atlantic and Caribbean Sea from loss of marine life from the Invasive Lionfish through practical implementations that create economic benefits for practices that promote long term reef health and are self-funding.
BACKGROUND
Reefs are not only the nursery for the oceans, but house a significant portion of all marine life and represent a substantial food source for the entire planet.
A large portion of these reefs are located in underdeveloped/undeveloped countries that can neither afford economically or politically to prevent local uses that contribute to reef degradation even though such uses adversely affect the long term economic benefits of those same users.
Commercial over fishing, lack of management of fish stocks and juvenile species, untreated disposal and run off, invasive species and other factors create increased negative pressure on the health of reefs. Often, local populations lack correct knowledge about the consequences of their actions and can present a difficult political obstacle when governments attempt to change traditional customs and practices.
STRATEGY
LOCAL PEOPLE RECEIVE ECONOMIC BENEFIT - In order to overcome these obstacles, local people in affected regions must become educated and receive concrete benefits from changing any destructive behavior and adopting behaviors that result in clear and direct economic benefits for them.
EDUCATION AND BENEFITS PERMIT POLITICAL WILL - Once the local people understand the impacts of any potential destructive behavior on the reef, and receive an economic benefit from behaviors that benefit the reef, then political obstructions will be minimized. That in turn could allow further action on a larger scale such as water treatment and run off projects and large scale changes in local and commercial fishery use and practices. While such dramatic changes are not part of the mission of this organization, the organization must help lay the groundwork through research and education.
OVERCOME LACK OF RESOURCES - In many cases local people lack access to information, training, skills and resources to change behaviors that are harmful to the health of the reef. Recognizing these issues, and respecting the local customs, laws and traditions of each affected region is critical to the development of a system that can adapt to those special needs and circumstances, while providing the type of resources needed for each such region to achieve successful implementation.
GOALS FOR THE SYSTEM MODEL
The initial project of the organization is to focus on the invasive Lionfish and its destruction of the reef environment and the degradation of commercial fish populations caused by the affects of the invasive lionfish. Development of a system based on a successful model that can be replicated in different regions is the general plan.
The goals for a model to create a system will provide for:
Reef education for the participants and the community,
Training needed to harvest
Techniques based upon the most efficient and cutting edge research,
Resources needed to implement the model,
Ownership of the participants in their own small businesses,
A market that will assure purchases of the harvest and economic success,
Periodic support for the continued economic success of the direct participants.
The Lionfish is Indo-pacific in origin, but has no natural predators in the Caribbean or Atlantic where it's ferocious predation on juvenile species threatens to collapse the reef ecosystem and has resulted in a dramatic decrease in reef fish populations.
TRADITIONAL FISHING METHODS ARE NOT EFFECTIVE - Generally speaking traditional fishing methods do not work with Lionfish and the most productive method currently used for removal is spearing Lionfish while using SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) equipment.
While there is no exception to the continuation of Lionfish culling using SCUBA, NOAA recognizes that this is only a stop gap measure.
INVASIVE LIONFISH - The Lionfish is highly venomous, but not poisonous to eat. The extremely strong toxins can be injected through any of the 18 razor sharp spikes and can result in debilitating pain and long term injury and even death in extreme cases. Direct contact with the venom even after the death of the animal can still result in injury.
This has resulted in local populations fearing and not consuming Lionfish as a food source believing that is poisonous and a can not be eaten despite the fact that Lionfish is probably the best tasting flaky white fish available.
The Lionfish is indo-pacific in origin, but has no natural predators in the Caribbean or Atlantic where it's ferocious predation on juvenile species threatens to collapse the reef ecosystem and has resulted in a dramatic decrease in reef fish populations.
LIONFISH TRAPS ARE NEEDED - The long term plan is for the development and approval of a viable Lionfish trap that is effective in capturing Lionfish while minimizing by-catch and negative affects on the reef environment.
While NOAA has recognized that spearing has been effective on small scales in isolated areas, the methodology is too expensive to implement on a large scale and is not viable below the 130' maximum depth for open water SCUBA certification as Lionfish have spread into depths below SCUBA limits.
The first step toward the long term goal is to develop, test and deploy lionfish traps that can meet NOAA approval for use in commercial fishing for both shallow water and depths below SCUBA limits. Although not approved by NOAA, the lionfish purse trap designed by Dr. Steven Gittings meets all the criteria.
DEVELOPMENT OF A MARKET - Obtaining approval of an effective lionfish trap is only a partial solution as there is no economic incentive for fishermen if there is no viable commercial market for Lionfish. This requires not merely periodic supply, but a consistent supply and distribution system to maintain economic stability for all parties involved. Initially, Whole Foods has stated that they will buy all the lionfish that can be produced.
Finally, the creation of a stable market in the United States, also creates economic opportunity for other countries to export into the United States, further helping those countries with concrete economic benefits the extend beyond participating local fishermen.
PHASE ONE - Testing the Functionality of the Lionfish Trap - Completed
The first objective is to create an economic model that will provide education, training, and resources needed that will change destructive behavior by providing economic rewards for positive behavior that will eventually become a self-sustaining economic model and thereby open the door for political changes dealing with larger scale projects.
To accomplish the initial objective of the organization requires the development of a model for removal and harvesting as a food source, the invasive lionfish species from the Caribbean and Atlantic.
While there is no exception to the continuation of Lionfish culling using SCUBA, NOAA recognizes that this is only a stop gap measure.
The Lionfish purse trap, designed by Dr. Steven Gittings has proven to be effective at catching lionfish with no by-catch, but seemingly similar locations, are not consistent in catch rates. Inconsistent catch rates have resulted in fishers abandoning the traps.
PHASE TWO - Location Prediction - In Process
However, a partial solution is no solution at all, therefore the overall economic viability of the model must be addressed by looking at the economic situation in other countries that do not have the wealth and resources of the United States, and developing a model that consistently catches lionfish.
NOAA funded $250,000 for research and testing by Reef.org to determine if the Lionfish purse trap could be deployed on a trawl line like lobster traps from commercial fishing boats. The results indicated that while the traps functioned correctly when deployed, the catch rate was virtually zero. Thus, randomly deployed trap are ineffective.
ReefSave’s testing in 2018 showed 40% of the Purse traps at 100 feet or deeper, constantly had lionfish aggregation starting not later than 4 days after deployment and through the remainder of the 14-day soak time tests. This leads us to believe that if the LOCATION is good, Lionfish will consistently aggregate at the Fish Aggregation Device. (FAD)
The next set of tests will be aggregation rates over a 9 hour period for 4 days. The location data, and the videos will be analyzed for aggregation rates. These types of location studies will be repeated again and again to collect more data about aggregation rates.
The preliminary tests will be conducted in Bequia August 17, 18, 19 and 20, 2026. Volunteers are needed for SCUBA, operation of underwater robot, line handling, and data collection. Training and practice sessions will be held in Miami, Florida for robot operation and line handling. Volunteer Scuba divers will be briefed on the data collection requirements, set up and other factors prior to deployment.
This model must be flexible enough to adjust to economic, political and environmental differences throughout the affected regions by respecting those differences, but limiting the involvement of the organization when participation violates the mission of the organization, the non-profit charter of the organization or the applicable laws that may be in place under such circumstances.
The goal of Phase Two is to collect data about FAD aggregation rates at different locations deeper than 100 feet. These tests would not include a trap, only the FAD and a recording device capturing daily videos for 4 days, that will be repeated at different locations.
This data will then be analyzed to find patterns that lead to location parameters that will predict good locations for the traps. As we continue to collect FAD aggregation data the model can continue to improve until the prediction rate of good locations becomes consistent.
The consistency of the prediction model becomes valuable intellectual property that the non-profit will provide to a new Benefit Corporation, that will require that lionfish fishers make money before profits can be distributed to the shareholders.
As the prediction model improves, the B corporation will create the first franchise model.
PHASE THREE - B Corporation Franchise - Planned
Using the prediction model, and a secondary program to evaluate not only locations, but soak time and cost of retrival by the fisher.
The goal is to set up a Franchise system in the B Corporation. The franchisee will have a number of traps deployed at locations predicted by the initial model, will be trained on the system.
When the fisher decides to work, the fisher uses a cell phone to obtain the GPS location of the first trap to retrieve. Upon retrival, the fisher must report the catch and other information, then the next GPS location is provided. This continues until the fisher stops requesting the next GPS.
To prevent poaching, the floats for the trap will be below the surface, but visible from the GPS location. Another line attached to the buoy for the trap is hooked onto by the fisher and then attached to the winch for retrival.
As the prediction model improves, and the initial franchise provers successful, then the franchise model is expanded to actual franchisees.
The goal is to expand the program throughout the rest of the areas outside of the United States that are affected by the invasive lionfish.