Antigua is preparing to host the first Antigua Open Lionfish Tournament on November 18th-20th, 2022. It is co-sponsored by Elkhorn Marine Conservancy (EMC) (https://www.emcantigua.org) and Lionfish University (https://lionfishuniversity.org).
The tournament will take place the first two days, with cash prizes for the winning teams totaling more than $12,000 USD (34,000 EC). A Lionfish Festival and exhibition will take place at Nelson’s Dockyard National Park in English Harbor on November 20th from 1-5pm.
At the festival, attendees can enjoy tasting lionfish in the Chef’s Cook-Off, as well as play games, spend time mingling with the lionfish hunters and international guests, and sit in on any number of presentations, ranging from educational to inspirational.
Headlining and helping organize the event is a team of international scientists, conservationists and celebrities working with Elkhorn Marine Conservancy and Lionfish University. Gathering in Antigua from various countries in the region, this team is working with local conservationist Martha Watkins Gilkes and numerous active conservation groups to raise awareness about the impact invasive lionfish have on reefs in Antigua & Barbuda and throughout the Caribbean.
A top priority for the organizers is to bring local attention to what each individual can do to help improve the health of the coral reef through simple conservation actions – three of which are controlling the spread of lionfish by catching, eating, and wearing this destructive invasive species.
Giving presentations at the Lionfish Festival are: Dr. Steve Gittings, Chief Scientist for the U.S. National Marine Sanctuary System, who will kick off the event with a report on the rapidly changing reefs of the Western Atlantic Ocean.
Scientist and lionfish expert, Alex Fogg will speak on the stunning history of the lionfish invasion, and Nature’s response.
Stacy Frank and screenwriter Jim Hart, founders of Lionfish University, will discuss ways their organization has been dealing with the lionfish invasion. They’ll also talk about the silver lining of the invasion, including some tasty solutions to the problem.
Business development expert and citizen scientist Phil Karp will relate moving stories of how jewelry-making using lionfish fins and spines has changed the lives of women in some countries.
Dr. Holden Harris will describe the emerging commercial fishery for spearfishing lionfish and discuss the issue of deepwater lionfish. Research, development, and testing is underway to examine whether lionfish traps may be used to effectively catch lionfish from reefs too deep for divers to reach.
Freediver, media personality, and explorer Mehgan Heaney-Grier has an inspiring personal story of how her record-breaking freediving exploits set her on a path through an exciting career in movies, modeling, and television, then into education, gradually changing our ocean conservation ethic.
Three local speakers will also be featured. Conservationist and organizer of the lionfish derby and festival, Martha Watkins-Gilkes will tell the story of marine mammals in captivity in Antigua and Barbuda.
Antiguan and Barbudan marine and coral reef ecologist, Ruleo Camacho will describe why parrotfish are so important to coral reef health and what happens without them.
Vashti Ramsay-Casimir, Senior Tourism Officer and Network Leader for Green Fins Antigua and Barbuda, shows how this program and its members promote sustainable diving and snorkeling and reduce the environmental impacts of tourism.
The lecture series, along with other activities of the Antigua Open Lionfish Tournament are made possible by the generous support of the Ministry of Tourism and the Honorable Minister Max Fernandez, the Mill Reef Club as a platinum sponsor, Elite Island Resorts as a silver sponsor, and other island stakeholders including: National Parks Authority, Fisheries, Coast Guard, local media, dive shops, fishermen, and others. For further information, please contact: [email protected]
Lionfish Festival Lecture Schedule:
1:00 “If Reefs Could Talk” – Dr Steve Gittings
1:20 “The Changing Seascape” – Alex Fogg
1:40 “Go Green Eat Red Lionfish” – Stacy Frank and Jim Hart
2:00 “Jewelry Making and Business Building” – Phil Karp
2:20 “The State of Lionfish Traps” – Dr. Holden Harris
2:40 “The Evolution of Freediving and One of Its Pioneers” – Mehgan Heaney-Grier
3:00 “Dolphin Dilemma” – Martha Watkins-Gilkes
3:20 “Parrotfish in Antigua” – Ruleo Camacho
3:40 “Green Fins” – Vashti Ramsay-Casimir
SOURCE: Press Release
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2 responses to “IF REEFS COULD TALK: First-Ever Lionfish Tournament & Festival in Antigua Aims to Improve Health of Coral Reefs”
The fish looks more like a porcupine to me than lion…why is it called lion fish?
When they spread their fins, especially when corralling a fish, it has the look of a lion’s mane.
This is how they become LIONFISH!