We Study and Test Methods to
Control the Invasive Lionfish
Pictured is Trap #5 in Bequia from 2018. This is where in August 2026 ReefSave will test Aggregation at the FAD for 24 hours for 4 consecutive days. The first week 15 August, 2026 in Bequia, the second week 22 August, 2026 in St Vincent.
Reefsave not only does research and testing, its mission includes education and training.
Our third event is October, 2026 when Reefsave will be in Roatan, Hondorus where each participant will not only receive valuable marine life education, but included in the package is Lionfish Spear Training, Certification and a serial numbered Lionfish Spear for you to keep.
Reefsave.org has been working with NOAA and Dr. Steven Gittings since 2018 when the Gittings lionfish purse trap was built and tested “in field” on the island of Bequia. Since then Reefsave.org has been working on improving the performance and build system for the Gittings Purse trap and developed the “no weld” trap in 2019 and field tested it in Bequia.
After the pandemic, Reef.org did a large scale study of dropping the purse trap from a trawl line, like a lobster trap with little results.
Our 2026 study begins to try to understand the times and environment conditions conducive to aggregation by studying day and night patterns of the lionfish.
