Caribbean Invasive Alien Species Network

Battle lionfish heats up

Dr. Dayne Buddo

AS the battle against the lionfish, that stealthy marine predator invading Jamaican waters, intensifies, more than 2,000 fisherfolk have already been trained in the management of the fish, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) has said. Novelette Douglas, speaking on behalf of NEPA’s chief executive officer, Peter Knight, made the announcement at a function last week marking Scotiabank Jamaica officially joining the fight against the fish that threatens the livelihoods of hundreds of fisherfolk in the island. She also emphasised the invasive nature of the species, noting that more than 100 species of fish and crustaceans are sometimes found in the stomach of the lionfish, including shrimp, crab, parrot fish and snapper.

The training is part of the National Lionfish Project, part of a larger Regional Project — Mitigating the Threat of Invasive Alien Species in the Insular Caribbean (MTIASIC) — funded by the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It seeks to strengthen partnerships among government and nongovernmental agencies in Jamaica, as well as to promote regional cooperation. Here in Jamaica, the project is led by NEPA and the University of the West Indies (UWI) Discovery Bay Marine Lab.