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Regional Strategy for the Control of Lionfish in the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR)
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Published by: MAR Fund
This publication should be cited as: 2014 C Rodriguez, M González, C González, A Rivas, F Gourdin, R Gómez, R Torres, J Ordóñez, V Dávila, (Regional Strategy for the Control of Lion-fish in the Mesoamerican Reef. 53 pp.)
Cover photos: MAR Fund, DIPESCA Guatemala
Compilation of texts: MAR FUND María José González, Claudio González, Ana Beatriz Rivas, Carlos Rodríguez Olivet, CAR-SPAW Franck Gourdin, ICRI Ricardo Gómez, RCDR Rubén Torres, FCG Jorge Ordóñez, CONAP Vanessa Dávila.
Printed in: Mapas de Guatemala
Design and Layout: José Miguel Leiva, National Council of Protected Areas - CONAP - Guatemala, Outreach and Education Department.
Comments and inquiries: Claudio González [email protected] Carlos Rodríguez Olivet [email protected]
Special thanks to Jennifer Chapman/ Blue Ventures
The consultation process as well as the process and development of the Regional Strategy has been possible thnaks to the financial support from the German Development Cooperation through KfW from the United Nations Environment Program and Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife Regional Activity Center.
CONTENT
Sponsors of the Regional Workshop for the StrategyAuthorsAcronyms Glossary
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. THE REGIONAL STRATEGY
1.1 Foundations and Principles 1.2 Scope of Application 1.3 Organizational Structure
2. LIONFISH FRAMEWORK
2.1 Brief description of its distribution, biology and ecology 2.2 Marine invasive species in the MAR region and its problematic 2.3 Management actions at national level
3. REGIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION
3.1 Vision 3.2 Mission 3.3 Objectives, strategies and actions
Objective 1: To facilitate collaboration between governments, industries that rely on reefs, civil society and academia, providing mechanisms for the coordination of efforts across political and geographical boundaries
Objective 2: Develop a coordinated research effort aimed at management and monitoring
Objective 3: Influence governments to review and amend the relevant legislation and, if necessary, develop new rules and regulations for the control of lionfish
Objective 4: Control of populations of lionfish using effective methods and coordinated regional efforts
Objective 5: Implement an education and communication program for the control and management of lionfish in the MAR
4. EVALUATION AND MONITORING
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Appendix 1. Members of the Lionfish Regional Committee of the Mesoamerican Reef
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Sponsors of the Regional Workshop for the Strategy
United Nations Environmental ProgramSpecially Protected Areas and WildlifeRegional Activity Centerwww.car-spaw-rac.org
National Commission of Natural Protected Areas, Mexicowww.conanp.gob.mx
Reef Check Dominican Republicwww.reefcheckdr.org
Mesoamerican Reef Fundwww.marfund.org
International Coral Reef Iniciativewww.icriforum.org
Authors
Gobierno de Guatemala
Gobierno de GuatemalaConsejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas
Gobierno de Guatemala
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We thank the following colleagues whose discussions and suggestions improved this document.
MEXICO
Alfredo Arellano CONANP [email protected]é Juan Pérez CONANP [email protected]ía del Carmen García CONANP [email protected]úl Villaseñor CONAPESCA [email protected] Gómez CONANP [email protected]ás Camarena CONANP [email protected]
GUATEMALA
Ana Giró HRI [email protected] Lucas CONAP [email protected] Marín DIPESCA [email protected] Areano Mundo Azul [email protected] Paz CONAP [email protected] Ordóñez FCG [email protected]é Cajas CONAP [email protected]é Luis Echeverría CONAP [email protected]é Martínez CONAP [email protected] Cifuentes DIPESCA [email protected]ía Mercedes López IARNA/URL [email protected] Díaz MARN [email protected]án Marcucci MAGA [email protected] Andrino DIPESCA [email protected] Hernández CONAP [email protected] Ruano MARN [email protected] Ramírez FUNDAECO [email protected] Sandoval CONAP [email protected] Dávila CONAP [email protected]íctor Gudiel CECON [email protected]
BELICE
Celia Mahung TIDE [email protected] Majil FISHERIES DEPT [email protected] Chapman Blue Ventures [email protected] Rosado PACT [email protected] Rosado CZMAI [email protected] Barona TIDE [email protected]
HONDURAS
Giacomo Palavicini Roatán Marine Park [email protected] Drysdale HRI [email protected] Martínez ICF [email protected]
REGIONAL ACTORS
Ana Beatriz Rivas MAR Fund [email protected] Rodríguez Olivet MAR Fund [email protected] González MAR Fund [email protected] Gourdin CAR-SPAW UNEP [email protected]
Gina De Ferrari WWF [email protected]ía José González MAR Fund [email protected] Cabrera MAR Fund [email protected]én Torres REEF CHECK DR [email protected] Gómez RLC - ICRI [email protected]
Regional Actors
ICRI will participate in this iniciative as the international institution that promote dialogue among actors and sectors related to the conservation of the coral reef worldwide.
The Regional Strategy for the Control of Lionfish in the Mesoamerican Reef has been based on the following documents:
• Gómez Lozano, R., L. Anderson, J.L. Akins, D.S.A. Buddo, G. García-Moliner, F. Gourdin, M. Laurent, C. Lilyestrom, J.A. Morris, Jr., N. Ramnanan, and R. Torres. 2013. Estrategia regional para el control del Pez León invasor en el Gran Caribe. Iniciativa Internacional sobre los Arrecifes Coralinos. 32 pp.
• Morris, J.A., Jr. (Ed.). 2013. El pez león invasor: guía para su control y manejo. Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute Special Publication Series, No.2, Mara-thon, Florida, USA. 126 pp.
Authors
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CBD Convention on Biological DiversityCCAD Central American Commission on Environment and DevelopmentCECON Center for Conservation Studies (USAC)CONAP National Council of Protected Areas (Guatemala) CONANP National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (México)CONAPESCA National Commission of Fisheries and Aquaculture (México) CORAL Coral Reef AllianceCZMAI Coastal Zone Management Auhtority and InstituteDIPESCA Fisheries and Aquaculture Regulations Authority (Guatemala)FUNDAECO Foundation for The Eco-Development and Conservation HRI Healthy Reefs InitiativeIARNA/URL Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment of the Rafael Landivar UniversityIAS Invasive Allien SpeciesICF National Institute of Forest Conservation and Development, Protected Areas and Wildlife (Honduras)ICRI International Coral Reef IniciativeKfW German Development BankMAR Mesoamerican Reef MARN Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Guatemala)MAR FUND Mesoamerican Reef FundMPA Marine Protected AreaNOAA National Oceanic and Atmosferic AdministrationOSPESCA Organization of the Fisheries and AquaculturePACT Protected Areas Conservation TrustRCDR Reef Check Dominican RepublicREEF Reef Environmental Education FoundationRMP Roatan Marine Park SPAW-RAC Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife Regional Activity Center TIDE Toledo Institute for Development and EnvironmentUNEP United Nations Environmental Program
Acronyms
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Climate Change: The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Article 1 defines ‘ climate change ‘ like’ changing attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition weather of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods ‘ . The UNFCCC distinguishes between “climate change” attributable to human activities altering the atmospheric composition, and “climate variability “attributable to natural causes.
Meristic characters: : Countable traitsused to describe species of Fish. For exam-ple: number of vertebrae, fin rays, etc.
Ciguatera: Is the toxin responsible for the food-borne illness, Ciguatera Fish Poi-soning. It is produced by microscopic organisms living in tropical and subtropical waters that associate with macroalgae. Warning Coloration: Bright coloration to advertise the possession of chemical or physical defenses against predation. It is most common form of aposematism, which can include a range of conspicuous signals, e.g. sound, smell.
Invasive alien species: Species that have been introduced or have spread beyond their natural ranges and that threaten the native biodiversity of infested ecosys-tems. Alien invasive species ( Ing . ) ; Espèce exotique envahissante ( Fr.).
Hawaiian sling: A device used in spearfishing. For purposes of this strategy, this term refers to the device that is used to hunt lionfish. The energy of this device is stored in a rubber tube axis instead of a wood or fiberglass.
Lessepsian (Migration): Invasion of species from the Red Sea (Eritrean and Indo-Pacific) entering the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. By Ferdinand de Lesseps, the main promoter of the construction of the Canal. Lessepsian (Ing.); Lessepsienne (Fr.).
Scorpionfish: Fish family Scorpionidae, commonly known as stonefish, scorpionfish and lionfish, possessing venomous dorsal, anal and pelvic spines. Included in the Scorpaeniformes order, with predominantly marine species and distributed throughout tropicals and temperate waters. Popular aquarium fish. First appeared in the fossil record in the Paleocene, during Terciarioinferior.
Reef resilience: The resilience of coral reefs is the biological ability of coral reefs to recover from natural disturbances such as storms and bleaching episodes. Resilience refers to the ability of biological and social systems to overcome the stresses and strains to maintain Key features through resistance or adaptation to change.
Glossary
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Regional Strategy for the Control of Lionfish in the Mesoamerican Reef
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In January 2010, in recognition of the seriousness of the invasion of lionfish and its impact on coral reefs and local communities, the 24th General Conference of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) decided to create an Ad-hoc committee to develop a strategic plan to control lionfish in the Wider Caribbean. The strategy was designed in consensus between several regional and national stakeholders to take advantage of existing programmes and efforts in order to minimise the effects of lionfish in the Wider Caribbean region and to provide a framework for action to facilitate a concerted regional response to the threat of lionfish.
Since the lionfish invasion affects not only one but several countries in the Wider Caribbean, including countries of the Mesoamerican Reef System, and in order to add to previous efforts, representatives of the countries that shared the region of the Mesoamerican Reef––MAR––(Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras) met in Guatemala City on May 22 and 23, 2014 to familiarize with the strategy adopted by the countries of the Wider Caribbean in response to this threat, in order to initiate the development of a strategy to control lionfish in the MAR.
This workshop was conducted with the financial support of the German Cooperation through KfW, the United Nations Environment Program, (UNEP) SPAW-RAC, MAR Fund, and with technical support of CONANP of Mexico and RCDR.
As a result of the workshop, participants decided to establish the MAR Regional Committee to control lionfish under the same objectives as the strategy for the Wider Caribbean, and keeping coherence between both strategies. The organizations represented in the workshop were established as active members of the Regional Committee. Each country appointed a focal point to monitor the design and implementation of the Regional Strategy, which has been designed as a platform that will enable countries to develop and implement their National Action Plans.
Actions outlined in the proposed MAR strategy are mainly oriented to the pursuit of interagency and inter-sectorial coordination, education and awareness-raising among different actors and sectors, control related to capacity building in the capture of lionfish and techniques to handle it, as well as incentives and marketing and publicity to promote human consumption of the species.
The MAR strategy includes a series of actions oriented to interagency coordination at regional, national and local level, which are aimed at uniting programmes for the control and management of the species. Proposed actions are oriented to: research, management, control, rules and regulations and national policies to support emergency actions needed to address the threat strategically and from the political, economic, social, cultural and environmental fields. This has the purpose of reducing impacts from the presence of lionfish and increasing the resilience of reefs in the Mesoamerican region.
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Implementation of the strategy will require the participation of governments at national and local level; business, community, environmental and cultural sectors and all sectors involved in education and dissemination as well as in national and international cooperation in each country, in order to achieve a united impact in the short, medium and long term. Coordination with CCAD and OSPESCA will provide institutional support to the Strategy at the level of ministries represented in these regional bodies, as there are actions within the regional action plan that need government support and promotion.
1. REGIONAL STRATEGY
This strategy provides a directed framework for action shared amongst the four countries encompassing the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. These agreed-upon regional actions will enable the development of national-level Action Plans, for the ultimate realization of broader regional objectives.
1.1 Foundations and principles
FOUNDATIONS
The red lionfish is the first invasive species of coral reef fish to establish within the wider Caribbean region, where it threatens coral reef ecosystems as a whole, as well as associated goods and ecosystem services upon which a large proportion of the coastal communities depend. Though complete eradication is no longer considered possible, effective control measures can be applied in specific areas. Essential conditions for the success of this task include thorough understanding of the problem in all sectors, as well as the coordination and collaboration between affected communities, research institutions, governmental bodies, private sector and technical experts.
The intent of this strategy, shared with the Regional Strategy for the Control of Invasive Lionfish in the Wider Caribbean Region, is to facilitate this collaboration in order to provide a framework for action to:
1. Promote collaboration between relevant actors and sectors associated with the threat and its control and management, monitoring progress through assignment of time-bound responsibilities;
2. Foster and facilitate frequent sharing of experiences, field methods and tools for research and monitoring;
3. Reduce costs and avoid duplication of efforts through the development of regional programmes with shared resources;
4. Guide the efforts of researchers, non-governmental organisations and donors through detailed programmes, initiatives and projects, in order for their investments to have maximum impact for the control of the species;
5. Ensure activities are coherent and complementary across all levels and between all sectors;
6. Devise the political activities and regulations necessary to support the strategic activities for lionfish control and management; and
7. Promote binding activities related to policy, regulations and national legislation to combat the threat of lionfish.
The Strategy considers existing recommendations for regional and international organisations, associated with Aichi Targets, the Convention for Biological Diversity, the International Coral Reef Initiative and institutional mandates at the regional level stemming from the CCAD and OSPESCA. Both regional institutions not only respond to institutional mandates, but also to policy and regional strategies and initiatives related to the conservation and management of natural resources and biodiversity.
Some of the instruments that must be respected as part of this Strategy are as follows:
ALIDES: The Alliance for Sustainable Development of Central America was adopted by the heads of government of Central American countries in October 1994 to achieve development, by means of a progressive process of change in human quality of life, which denotes economic development that considers social equality, the transformation of production methods and consumption patterns, supported by a balanced ecology, a vital foundation to the region.
ERB: The Regional Strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in Mesoamerica seeks to promote and facilitate the cooperation and coordination of activities in the region in order to attain the understanding, valuation, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the Mesoamerican region, in harmony with national policies, strategies and action plans as well as the international agenda of biodiversity.
ERAS: The Agro-environmental and Health Regional Strategy promotes an intersectorial mechanism for agro-environmental governance, with emphasis on the sustainable management of land, biodiversity, climate change, agro-environmental enterprise and healthy lifestyles, in an approach that contributes to sustainable human development.
ERCC: The Regional Climate Change Strategy is a result of an intensive and dynamic process, with consultation and contribution from both national and regional levels, representing a flexible instrument and guide for the SICA countries. The ERCC hopes to become the coordinated and evolutionary instrument that will allow the CCAD to advance in agreement with its mission for development of a cooperative and integrated environmental system that contributes to resisting threats and taking advantage of opportunities presented by climate change and variability in the region. Furthermore, it provides an advisory instrument for regional activities to complement and add value to national actions.
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PACADIR: The Regional Plan for Hydric Resources represents a combination of strategies and actions that guide and coordinate development of hydric reachness possessed by Central America aligned to the concepts of sustainable development, particularly within shared and transboundary watersheds.
Global legislative tools for the sustainability of fisheries resources:
The Law of the Sea (El Derecho del Mar): The United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea desires “a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation, all issues relating to the law of the sea and aware of the historic significance of this Convention as an important contribution to the maintenance of peace, justice and progress for all peoples of the world.” Agreement on Fisheries and Aquaculture (Acuerdo sobre Pesca de Altura): This Agreement has been promoted in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea relating to the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks. It aims to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of such resources through effective implementation of the relevant provisions of the Convention of the Law of the Sea. To achieve this, it covers issues such as the compatibility of conservation measures and management, international cooperation mechanisms, regional and sub-regional organisation and arrangements, among others. Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (Código de Conducta para la Pesca Responsable): The member countries of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), including all Central American countries, have accepted this Code, which contains rules and principles for responsible practices, with a view to ensure the conservation, management and development of living aquatic resources, with necessary respect for the ecosystem and biodiversity. It aims to establish principles, in accordance with the relevant rules of international law, so that fishing activities are conducted responsibly, taking into account all relevant biological, technological, economic, social, environmental and commercial aspects. Although the Code is voluntary, all Central American countries have adopted it, including some countries that recognise its principles in their new laws.
Regional Framework Treaty on Fisheries and Aquaculture (Tratado Marco Regional de Pesca y Acuicultura): The Framework Agreement aims to adopt a Declaration of Principles on a Regional System Planning and Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture, through the establishment of policies, strategies, regulations and joint programs. In the application of this Treaty the Central American States take into account the principles set out in the Protocol of the General Treaty on Central American Economic Integration and the Protocols of Guatemala and Tegucigalpa. Among the objectives of the Treaty is the establishment and harmonisation of strategies, policies and joint rules to gradually establish the aforementioned Regional System. Policy Integration of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Central America (Política de Integración de Pesca y Acuicultura en el Istmo Centroamericano): This policy seeks to establish a common regional system to increase the participation of Central
American countries and thereby contribute to sound and sustainable use of fisheries resources and aquaculture products. It simililarly promotes regional and national organization of sectors directly related to the management and sustainable use of fisheries and aquaculture, strengthen regional and national institutions with the participation of different actors in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, integrate regional actions to strengthen regional cooperation and promote colloboration, ensuring sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in biological, economic, social and environmental terms, and encouraging joint research and building knowledge for improved development of fishing activities and aquaculture health and traceability.
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PRINCIPLES
Given the current population status of lionfish across the length of the Mesoamerican Reef, the invasion is not yet considered to have realised its maximum level of threat. Therefore, this strategy establishes the following principles to drive the development and adoption of activities required to reach the necessary level of control:
- Mutual collaboration- Shared responsibility- Optimization of resources- Regional vision
1.2 Scope of application
The scope for application of this strategy will be within the countries of the Mesoamerican Reef, including Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras.
1.3 Organizational structure
As part of the agreements reached during the workshop held in Guatemala on May 22 and 23, 2014, a Regional Lionfish Control Committee for the Mesoamerican Reef was created, as a governance response to the growing impact of the invasion of this species (Pterois volitans) in the Mesoamerican Reef. This committee will continually seek to coordinate with all other associated networks and committees for the control of this species, particularly with regard to the Regional Strategy developed for the Wider Caribbean Region.
The committee constitutes governmental and civil society institutions of Mexico (CONANP, CONAPESCA), Belize (Belize Fisheries Department, Blue Ventures, TIDE, PACT, CZMAI), Guatemala (CONAP, MARN, DIPESCA, FUNDAECO, CECON, IARNA-URL, FUNDACION MUNDO AZUL), and Honduras (ICF, Roatan Marine Park), as well as regional actors such as the Healthy Reefs Initiative, SPAW-RAC, Reef Check Dominican Republic and the MAR Fund. However, other actors and sectors wishing to participate are welcome to do so in the future.
One of the first outputs of this Regional Committee is the development of a Regional Strategy that aims to guide strategic actions for the control and management of lionfish, in which each country establishes a National Committee that implements follow-up activities adjusted to national and local circumstances, by means of each country’s respective National Action Plan.
2. THE LIONFISH: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Coral reefs and associated ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrass beds are threatened by natural and anthropogenic factors, including adverse weather, coastal development, overfishing, improper fishing practices and pollution. These factors are further compounded by climate change, which leads to elevated sea surface temperature, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and increase frequency and intensity of tropical storms and hurricanes.
Invasive alien species (IAS) constitute another important threat. The dispersal of IAS can result in the loss of economically important species and threaten the survival of endemic species. These threats to biological diversity also affect the functioning and integrity of ecosystems, their cultural and economic uses, and livelihoods derived from natural resource use and biodiversity, particularly to local communities.
However, a range of international agreements on the prevention and management of IAS exist, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in which Article 8 (h) calls for the avoided entry, control or eradication of exotic species that threaten ecosystems, habitats or species.
In the Caribbean, two species of lionfish, Pterois volitans and Pterois miles, are invasive and have this century become one of the greatest threats to the coral reefs of the temperate and tropical Atlantic.
1. Estrategia Regional para el Control del Invasor Pez León en el Gran Caribe. Gómez Lozano, R.,L. Anderson, J.L. Akins, D.S.A. Buddo, G. Garcia-Moliner, F. Gourdin, M. Laurent, C. Lilyestrom, J.A. Morris, Jr., N. Ramnanan, and R. Torres 2013. 31 pp.
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2.1 Brief description of its distribution, biology and ecology
Lionfish, belonging to Family Scorpaeinidae (scorpionfish), originate from the Indo-Pacific Oceans. The wide native range of P. volitans extends from Western Australia and Malaysia to French Polynesia and the Pitcairn Islands, and from southern Japan and South Korea to Lord Howe and the Kermadec Islands, as well as throughout Micronesia. P. miles’ native range covers the Indian Ocean, from western Sumatra, Indonesia to Kenya, and from as far north as the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to South Africa (Figure 1). In this vast marine area, lionfish have been recorded in shallow and deep water, mangroves, seagrass beds, coral and artificial reefs.
Fuente: USGS-NOAA-REEF
Figure 1. Map that indicates the original distribution of Pterois volitans (highlighted in green) and P. miles (highlighted in blue), adjusted from Schultz (1986) and Randall (2005). The star that appears in the Mediterranean Sea indicates the Lessepsian migration of the Suez Canal (Golani and Sonin 1992). The red colored zones indicate the distribution of the invasion of P. volitans and P. miles in America (from Schofield et al. 2012). The possible future distribution of lionfish along the South American coast is shown in red hatching (from Morris and Whitfield 2009).
Although P. volitans has been recorded throughout the wider Caribbean region, P. miles has only been observed along the southeast coast of the United States and in the Bahamas. Although the two species are morphologically indistinct in the Atlantic (Hammer et al., 2007), they are distinguished by meristic characters in their native range: P. volitans has more fin rays on its dorsal and anal fins than P. miles. Lionfish are most active during crepuscular periods (dawn and dusk), when the majority of time is spent foraging for food. Lionfish density in the Atlantic Ocean is greater than in their native range (Kulbicki et al. 2012).
Conspicuous, bright, aposematic colouration serves as a warning to potential predators of their venomous spines located in the dorsal, pelvic and anal fins. There are no venomous spines in the pectoral or caudal fins. Lionfish venom is made up of a complex of proteins, with envenomation leading to affected neuromuscular transmission and clinically presenting as intense, localised pain and swelling. (Cohen and Olek, 1989).
In its original context it is considered that these fish are fit for human consumption, but its economic importance as ornamental fish is far superior. In its original habitat, the lionfish is not listed as threatened or endangered.
2.2 Invasive marine species in the Mesoamerican Reef region and its problematic
The first official record of lionfish in the Caribbean was off the coast of Florida, USA, in 1985. As of the year 2013, lionfish have successfully invaded all coastal areas of the wider Caribbean region, include the Gulf of Mexico and the south-eastern coast of the USA (Figure 2), where only cold water (below 14 C0) limits further range expansion.
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23According to reports from the Healthy Reefs Initiative (HRI), the lionfish invasion has become a significant threat to coral reefs in the Mesoamerican region, both in ecological and economic terms. The first reports of lionfish in the MAR were in 2008. By 2012, lionfish was reported in nearly a quarter of the sites monitored by the HRI team (30 of 133 sites). Honduras was the country that received the highest densities and frequency of occurrence (17 of 59 monitored sites), whereas in Mexico and Belize sightings were scarce, likely due to intensive fishing effort on the part of local authorities and other organisations.
Across its new range, lionfish has been found to be generalist carnivores that consume over sixty species of fish and many species of invertebrates (crustaceans, mollusks), some of which have great commercial, recreational, cultural or ecological value to the region. The “naïve” behaviour of prey species in the Caribbean compared to its original range largely explains the high efficiency of predation of juvenile and adult fish observed in this region. Analyses of stomach contents in lionfish have revealed a wide variety of prey items of different sizes, with some up to two-thirds the lionfish’s body length.
Currently, the existence of potential predators for lionfish is uncertained. There are some documented cases of large-bodied grouper (such as Epinephelus striatus), sharks, snapper and moray eels preying upon lionfish, though these incidents are considered rare and are generally the result of feeding for tourists. Given that
lionfish venom is fatal to many fish (Allen & Eschmeyer 1973), the feeding of lionfish to native predators to encourage bio-control is not advised.
According to the Regional Lionfish Strategy for the Wider Caribbean Region, the proliferation of lionfish over the last ten years constitutes a real and growing threat to the ecology of tropical and subtropical marine areas in the wider Caribbean region, and therefore also for the Mesoamerican Reef. Now that the entire region has been invaded, it is expected that the density will continue to grow. To date, the densities appear to be sufficiently high to have a considerable impact on biological diversity and reef fish communities.
Given the proliferation of lionfish populations in the MAR region, the impacts on native populations and biodiversity of coral reefs, sea grass beds and mangroves may be dramatic, causing abrupt changes in ecosystem structure and competing for resources with economically important species such as snapper (Lutjanidae) and grouper (Epinephelus).
The socioeconomic impact of the lionfish invasion in the MAR region has not yet been quantified, though the tourism and fishing industries are most likely to be affected. Tourism may be affected through loss of biodiversity and consequential decreased attraction of snorkelling and SCUBA diving areas, and compounded by the risk of envenomation through direct contact with a lionfish. The fishing industry stands be affected through the depletion of populations of commercially significant marine resources, such as lobster. As a result, lionfish primarily threatens livelihoods and quality of life within coastal communities.
2.3 Nationwide management actions Each country in the MAR has initiated governmental actions in collaboration with other actors and sectors at the national level, and have locally implemented efforts to control and managed this invasive species. Some of these actions, strengthening the Regional Strategy, are as follows:
Mexico:
In Mexico the first sighting of lionfish occurred in January 2009 on the island of Cozumel, Cozumel Reefs National Park (Parque Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel – PNAC), Quintana Roo, which led to the first workshop to prepare the Early Warning Action Plan in June 2009 and to get acquainted with the problem, standardise messages, learn about capturing and monitoring techniques, train the general public (especially fishermen) and develop an action plan. Efforts have been made with key stakeholders including managers, researchers, government sector, fishermen, service providers, social organizations, environmentalists, researchers, tourists, divers, restaurant managers, residents, young people, students and the general public.
2. Report on ecological health for the Mesoamerican Reef 2010.
Figure 2. Image of the current distribution of invasive lionfish in the Caribbean (updated to Feb, 2013) .
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Identified challenges include legal, technical and financial challenges. One of the major challenges is related to increasing active stakeholder participation to implement the strategy, standardise monitoring criteria and promote increased information. Moreover, capturing lionfish involves high costs and it causes damage if improperly handled. Work is currently underway to proclaim this species as a plague in order to have access to additional resources for research, control and management of lionfish.
Belize:
The first sighting of lionfish in Belize was in Turneffe Atoll in December 2008. As little was known about the species, a sub-committee was formed through the National Coral Reef Monitoring Network in 2009. Through this working group, a response plan was initiated in 2009, and finalised in 2012. From there, as in the rest of the MAR countries, outreach efforts, information dissemination events, fisheries exchanges, lionfish hunting tournaments and scientific studies were conducted and informational materials developed.
Guatemala:
The first reports of presence of lionfish in Guatemala came in 2010-2011 from Punta Manabique Wildlife Refuge (Refugio de Vida Silvestre Punta de Manabique), in the reefs of Cabo Tres Puntas and Motaguilla. Currently there is an effort coordinated by DIPESCA and CONAP to promote a joint action plan to control lionfish. Partnerships have been developed with Mundo Azul Foundation and Iniciativa Arrecifes Saludables Guatemala, to plan hunting tournaments with diving schools and local fishermen. Similarly, research actions are encouraged by obtaining biological base data for population monitoring, an updated inventory of reef patches and other benthic ecosystems, population abundance and structure estimates, distribution in Guatemala, dispersion models of the species and its ecology (preys, stomach contents, impacts), oceanographic conditions and vulnerability of the area, in order to build the database on the species in Guatemala.
In 2013, DIPESCA conducted research on stomach contents of at least 83 fish, which allowed determining their natural diet preference in this area (reef patches of Motaguilla): spot-tail mantis shrimp (Squilla mantis), flamefish (Apogon maculatus), shrimp (Palaemonidae spp.)
Honduras:
The earliest reports on the presence of lionfish are from 2009 in Punta Gorda Roatan and later in Utila, Guanaja and Cayos Cochinos (Schofield, 2010). The species has spread to the Bay of Tela, Omoa, Puerto Cortes and the Bay of Trujillo. Due to the appearance of lionfish in these areas and particularly in Roatan, an information campaign on lionfish has been launched in Roatan Marine Park to inform people about what to do in case of sighting the species. A first meeting was held in Tegucigalpa with actors of Bay Islands and with management, legal
and technical personnel of DIGEPESCA to discuss the draft of a decree to control lionfish populations. After its approval, RMP began providing licenses and brief training to experienced divers on how to capture lionfish with “hawaiian slings”. Also, in the framework of the Sustainable Seafood and Responsible Restaurants Programme (Programa de Mariscos Sostenibles y Restaurantes Responsibles) promoted by RMP and CORAL, lionfish has been listed as a good seafood option.
© DIPESCA © DIPESCA
27
26
Reg
iona
l Str
ateg
y fo
r th
e C
ont
rol o
f Li
onfi
sh in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an R
eef
(MA
R)
3. REGIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION
One of the fundamental principles of this strategy is to provide regional guidelines that can be subsequently adapted to national frameworks for lionfish control and management. Moreover, it is intended to facilitate collaboration and provide cohesion with the Regional Lionfish Control Strategy for the Wider Caribbean Region.
3.1. Vision
Reduce the impacts and effects of lionfish on ecosystem services provided by the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System through management and control of the species and the coordination of multiple actors at regional, national and local levels.
3.2. Mission
Establish a platform of regional, national and local coordination and cooperation in order to manage and control invasive lionfish, with the objective to implement and consolidate national and local action plans that contribute towards minimising the negative impacts of lionfish on marine and coastal ecosystems in the Mesoamerican Reef region.
3.3. Objectives, strategies and actions
This strategy was developed under a coordinating framework for the control and mitigation of the impacts of lionfish in the Mesoamerican Reef region. It was built on the basis of existing relevant activities and programmes, and to involve key stakeholders from all sectors in promoting a coordinated and unified response to the lionfish problem regionally and with country-level strategic actions.
The framework for this strategy is based on five objectives to be achieved through specific measures and actions. These objectives are exactly those addressed in the Regional Lionfish Strategy for Lionfish Control in the Wider Caribbean Region for consistency at the strategic level, although their strategic actions differ between regions and countries.
The strategy will be implemented in collaboration with governments and other stakeholders to implement several of the proposed actions. Affected communities, local NGOs and resource administrators play an important role in the implementation of activities to be undertaken to reduce the threats of lionfish.
© DIPESCA
© DIPESCA
© DIPESCA
Reg
iona
l Str
ateg
y fo
r th
e C
ont
rol o
f Li
onfi
sh in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an R
eef
(MA
R)
28
29
The five objectives that form the backbone of this strategy are:
1. Facilitate collaboration between governments, industries dependent upon coral reefs, civil society and academia, providing mechanisms for the coordination of efforts across political and geographical boundaries.
2. Promote coordinated research and monitoring directed at management.
3. Encourage governments to examine and modify corresponding legislation and, if necessary, develop new rules and regulations for lionfish control.
4. Control invasive lionfish populations wherever possible, using effective methods and regional coordination.
5. Implement education and outreach programmes for the control and management of lionfish in the Mesoamerican Reef region.
These objectives hold the key to fulfilment of the vision and mission of this strategy.
Ob
ject
ive
1: F
acili
tate
co
llab
ora
tio
n am
ong
gov
ernm
ents
, in
dus
trie
s th
at d
epen
d o
n re
efs,
civ
il so
ciet
y an
d
acad
emia
, pro
vid
ing
mec
hani
sms
to c
oo
rdin
ate
effo
rts
acro
ss p
olit
ical
and
geo
gra
phi
cal b
oun
dar
ies.
The
lio
nfish
inva
sio
n in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an r
egio
n is
, by
its
natu
re, a
tra
nsb
oun
dar
y p
rob
lem
and
the
refo
re r
equi
res
a co
ord
inat
ed r
esp
ons
e fr
om
all
conc
erne
d a
nd/o
r in
volv
ed p
arti
es. G
iven
tha
t hu
man
and
fina
ncia
l res
our
ces
are
limit
ed in
the
MA
R, i
t is
imp
ort
ant
to c
oo
rdin
ate
thei
r us
e to
ens
ure
that
the
lio
nfish
issu
e is
ad
dre
ssed
in t
he m
ost
co
st e
ffec
tive
and
effi
cien
t m
anne
r p
oss
ible
. Nat
iona
l act
ion
pla
ns s
houl
d b
e d
esig
ned
wit
h th
e g
oal
of
feed
ing
a
reg
iona
l fra
mew
ork
to
allo
w o
ther
s to
ben
efit
fro
m t
he le
sso
ns le
arnt
and
bes
t p
ract
ices
. Thi
s g
oal
is, i
n es
senc
e,
one
of
the
pill
ars
of
this
reg
iona
l st
rate
gy,
as
it p
rom
ote
s a
pla
tfo
rm f
or
mul
ti-s
take
hold
er c
oo
rdin
atio
n th
at w
ill
allo
w f
or
focu
sed
act
ions
and
op
tim
al r
eso
urce
use
.
Stra
teg
ies
Act
ions
Stak
eho
lder
sSp
ecifi
c ac
tors
Sche
dul
e
Gov
.A
cad
.O
R/
IOM
R/
AD
ON
GS
PC
LD
N
Cre
ate
a M
AR
R
egio
nal L
ionfi
sh
Co
mm
itte
e to
co
ord
inat
e st
rate
gy
imp
lem
enta
tio
n
xx
xx
xx
xx
All
2014
Det
erm
ine
the
func
tio
ns a
nd r
ole
o
f th
e lio
nfish
co
mm
itte
e m
emb
ers
xx
x x
x x
x x
Reg
iona
l C
om
mit
ee20
14
D
evel
op
the
S
trat
egy
for
Co
ntro
l and
M
anag
emen
t o
f Li
onfi
sh in
the
M
AR
Reg
ion
xx
x x
x x
x x
To b
e d
efine
d20
14
Cre
ate
a m
echa
nism
to
pro
mo
te
the
coo
rdin
a-ti
on
of
lion-
fish
co
ntro
l an
d m
anag
e-m
ent
in t
he
MA
R r
egio
n th
roug
h ex
isti
ng
reg
iona
l and
in
tern
atio
nal
org
anis
atio
ns
Reg
iona
l Str
ateg
y fo
r th
e C
ont
rol o
f Li
onfi
sh in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an R
eef
(MA
R)
30
31
Cre
ate
an a
nnua
l fo
rum
to
sha
re
adva
nces
in
lionfi
sh c
ont
rol a
nd
man
agem
ent
xx
xx
x
To b
e d
efine
d 2
014
Enc
our
age
imp
lem
enta
tio
n o
f ac
tio
ns t
o u
nify
th
e M
AR
reg
ion
on
lionfi
sh c
ont
rol a
nd
man
agem
ent
Pro
mo
te in
teg
rate
d
coas
tal z
one
m
anag
emen
t as
a
fact
or
that
red
uces
vu
lner
abili
ty t
o
inva
ssio
n
xx
xx
xx
Reg
iona
l C
om
mtt
eeO
ct 2
014
Ap
pro
ve t
he S
trat
egy
for
Co
ntro
l and
M
anag
emen
t o
f Li
onfi
sh in
the
MA
R
Reg
ion
xx
xx
xx
xx
To b
e d
efine
d20
14
Mo
nito
r, ev
alua
te a
nd
adap
t th
e S
trat
egy
for
Co
ntro
l and
Man
agem
ent
of
Lio
nfish
in t
he M
AR
R
egio
n
xx
xx
xx
xx
To b
e d
efine
d
Per
man
ent
(ann
ual)
Enc
our
age
shar
ing
o
f ex
per
ienc
es a
nd
exch
ang
es b
etw
een
coun
trie
s fo
r ac
tio
ns
rela
ted
to
lio
nfish
co
ntro
l an
d m
anag
emen
t
xx
xx
xx
xx
To b
e d
efine
d
Per
man
ent
(ann
ual)
Cre
ate
an a
nnua
l fo
rum
fo
r sh
arin
g a
dva
nces
in t
he
man
agem
ent
and
co
ntro
l o
f lio
nfish
xx
xx
xR
egio
nal
Co
mm
itte
eO
ct 2
014
Ens
ure
that
lio
nfish
ex
plo
itat
ion
and
mar
ket
dev
elo
pm
ent
is s
oci
ally
re
spo
nsib
le
xx
xx
xx
xx
2
015
, 20
16
Reg
iona
l Str
ateg
y fo
r th
e C
ont
rol o
f Li
onfi
sh in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an R
eef
(MA
R)
32
33
Man
age
fina
ncia
l re
sour
ces
for
imp
lem
enta
tio
n o
f th
e st
rate
gy
Defi
ne b
udg
ets
and
id
enti
fy p
oss
ible
so
urce
s o
f lo
cal
and
inte
rnat
iona
l fu
ndin
g t
o
imp
lem
ent
the
stra
teg
y
xx
xx
xx
xx
Reg
iona
l C
om
mit
tee
Sin
ce 2
015
Pro
mo
te, a
t a
na-
tio
nal l
evel
, the
link
-ag
e o
f g
over
nmen
-ta
l ins
titu
tio
ns t
hat
reg
ulat
e fi
sher
ies,
en
viro
nmen
t an
d
pro
tect
ed a
reas
, to
ad
dre
ss t
he s
oci
al
, eco
nom
ic a
nd e
n-vi
ronm
enta
l im
pac
t o
f lio
nfish
.
xx
xx
Nat
iona
l A
utho
riti
es
on
fish
erie
s an
d p
rote
cted
ar
eas
Per
man
ent
Man
age
fina
ncia
l re
sour
ces
for
imp
lem
enta
tio
n o
f th
e st
rate
gy
xx
xx
xx
xx
Reg
iona
l C
om
mit
tee
Sin
ce 2
015
Cre
ate
and
/o
r st
reng
then
na
tio
nal
com
mit
tees
th
at c
oo
rdin
ate
imp
lem
enta
tio
n o
f th
e st
rate
gy
xx
xx
xx
xR
egio
nal
Co
mm
itte
w
ith
sup
po
rt
of
the
Gra
n C
arib
e C
om
mit
tee
2015
Pro
mo
te t
he
dev
elo
pm
ent
of
nati
ona
l pla
ns o
f ac
tio
n to
co
ntro
l lio
nfish
tha
t ar
e co
nsis
tent
wit
h th
e st
rate
gy
xx
xx
xx
xN
atio
nal
Co
mm
itte
es
2015
Cre
ate
a m
echa
nism
to
p
rom
ote
the
co
ord
inat
ion
of
lionfi
sh c
ont
rol
and
man
agem
ent
in e
ach
coun
try
thro
ugh
exis
ting
na
tio
nal
org
aniz
atio
ns
Reg
iona
l Str
ateg
y fo
r th
e C
ont
rol o
f Li
onfi
sh in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an R
eef
(MA
R)
34
35
Det
erm
ine
the
func
tio
ns a
nd r
ole
s o
f th
e na
tio
nal
com
mit
tees
m
emb
ers,
and
id
enti
fy t
wo
re
pre
sent
ativ
es
per
co
untr
y fo
r th
e Li
onfi
sh R
egio
nal
Co
mm
itte
e
xx
xx
xx
xN
atio
nal
Co
mm
itte
es
20
15
Mo
nito
r th
e im
ple
men
tati
on
of
the
stra
teg
y at
the
na
tio
nal l
evel
xx
xx
xx
xN
atio
nal
Co
mm
itte
es
Sin
ce 2
015
Gro
ups:
Go
b. =
Gov
ernm
ent,
Aca
d.=
Aca
dem
ia, O
R =
Reg
iona
l Org
anis
atio
ns, M
R/A
D=
Res
our
ce M
anag
ers/
PA
Man
ager
s, O
NG
s =
No
n G
over
nmen
tal O
rgan
isat
ions
, SP
= P
riva
te S
ecto
r, C
L =
Lo
cal C
om
mun
itie
s, D
N =
Do
nors
Ob
ject
ive
2: E
nco
urag
e a
coo
rdin
ated
res
earc
h eff
ort
and
man
agem
ent-
ori
ente
d m
oni
tori
ng
Giv
en t
he li
onfi
sh is
a n
ew s
pec
ies
to t
he M
AR
reg
ion,
in o
rder
fo
r co
ntro
l and
man
agem
ent
mec
hani
sms
for
this
hi
gh-
pro
file
inv
asio
n to
be
effec
tive
, th
ey m
ust
be
adap
ted
to
sp
ecifi
c ch
arac
teri
stic
s o
f th
e sp
ecie
s. R
esea
rch
is e
ssen
tial
to
bet
ter
und
erst
and
the
bio
log
y, e
colo
gy
and
po
tent
ial
imp
act
of
the
spec
ies
and
the
res
po
nse
of
eco
syst
ems
in t
he M
AR
reg
ion
to t
he i
nvas
ion.
Thi
s ca
n he
lp t
o d
evel
op
to
ols
and
am
end
ob
ject
ives
fo
r co
ntro
l b
ased
up
on
imp
rove
d s
cien
tifi
c kn
ow
led
ge.
It is
als
o n
eces
sary
to
mo
nito
r tr
end
s in
lio
nfish
po
pul
atio
ns, a
s w
ell a
s th
e im
pac
t o
f co
ntro
l pro
gra
ms,
in o
rder
to
eva
luat
e an
d a
dap
tive
ly m
anag
e in
terv
enti
ons
.
Stra
teg
yA
ctio
nsSt
akeh
old
ers
Sche
dul
e
GO
VA
CA
DO
R/
IOM
R/
AD
ON
GS
PC
LD
N
Pro
mo
te t
he
ado
pti
on
of
exis
ting
st
and
ard
sur
vey
met
hod
s fo
r lio
nfish
an
d in
corp
ora
te
thes
e in
to r
elev
ant
mo
nito
ring
p
rog
ram
mes
(fi
sher
ies,
co
ral
reef
s, e
tcet
era)
Ag
ree,
bas
ed u
po
n th
e g
uid
e fo
r co
ntro
l and
m
anag
emen
t (h
ttp
://lio
nfish
.gcfi
.org
/man
ua/)
an
d t
hro
ugh
reg
iona
l w
ork
sho
ps,
the
bes
t m
etho
ds
for
lionfi
sh
rese
arch
, mo
nito
ring
and
ev
alua
tio
n.
xx
xx
xx
Onc
e a
year
sta
rtin
g in
20
15
Pro
mo
te s
tand
ard
met
hod
s th
at a
llow
fo
r th
e p
reci
se
mo
nito
ring
of
the
stat
us o
f th
e lio
nfish
inva
sio
n.
xx
xx
xx
To b
e d
efine
d
Stra
teg
ies
Reg
iona
l Str
ateg
y fo
r th
e C
ont
rol o
f Li
onfi
sh in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an R
eef
(MA
R)
36
37
Rev
iew
and
ap
pro
ve t
he
inco
rpo
rati
on
of
lionfi
sh a
s an
ind
icat
or
wit
hin
exis
ting
m
oni
tori
ng m
etho
ds
in t
he
MA
R r
egio
n
xx
xO
nce
a ye
ar s
tart
ing
in 2
015
Ass
imila
te e
xist
ing
bas
elin
e d
ata
and
info
rmat
ion
on
lionfi
sh m
oni
tori
ng.
xx
xx
Oct
20
14
Pro
mo
te t
he s
tand
ard
izat
ion
of
met
hod
s fo
r co
ntro
l, m
ont
iro
ing
and
eva
luat
ion
of
lionfi
sh.
xx
xx
xx
xx
2015
Cre
ate
and
sta
ndar
diz
e m
etho
ds
for
mo
nito
ring
and
re
sear
ch in
the
dee
p s
ea.
xx
xx
xO
ct 2
014
Enc
our
age
rese
arch
to
d
eter
min
e th
e so
cio
eco
nom
ic
asp
ects
of
the
lionfi
sh,
incl
udin
g: e
cono
mic
imp
act
asse
ssm
ent,
mar
ket
rese
arch
an
d p
rice
fluc
tuat
ion,
imp
act
on
com
mun
ity
foo
d s
ecur
ity,
ut
iliza
tio
n in
loca
l res
taur
ants
, b
usin
ess
pla
ns, e
tcet
era.
xx
xP
erm
anen
t
Pro
mo
te a
nd s
upp
ort
re
sear
ch s
eeki
ng
tech
nica
l so
luti
ons
fo
r lio
nfish
co
ntro
l.
Ass
imila
te li
onfi
sh la
ndin
gs
dat
a
xx
xx
xP
erm
anen
t
Dev
elo
p m
echa
nism
s fo
r m
oni
tori
ng w
ith
loca
l art
isan
al fi
sher
s,
usin
g a
gre
ed u
po
n an
d
app
rop
riat
e m
etho
ds
in e
ach
coun
try
xx
xx
xS
tud
ies
in M
exic
o
sho
uld
be
imp
lem
ente
d
in o
ther
MA
R c
oun
trie
s b
y 20
15
Pro
mo
te s
tud
ies
on
the
imp
acts
of
lionfi
sh o
n co
asta
l m
arin
e ec
osy
stem
s, t
o
pro
mo
te r
eef
resi
lienc
e an
d
red
uce
vuln
erab
ility
.
xx
xx
xx
xx
Per
man
ent
Dev
elo
p a
stu
dy
on
the
use
of
lionfi
sh in
the
reg
iona
l aq
uari
um t
rad
e.
xx
xx
xx
x20
15
Str
eng
then
exi
stin
g
rese
arch
into
gen
etic
s an
d
conn
ecti
vity
(E
CO
SU
R,
CIN
VE
STA
V)
xx
xx
xx
xS
tud
ies
in M
exic
o a
nd
Gua
tem
ala
sho
uld
be
imp
lem
ente
d in
oth
er
MA
R c
oun
trie
s b
y 20
15
Reg
iona
l Str
ateg
y fo
r th
e C
ont
rol o
f Li
onfi
sh in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an R
eef
(MA
R)
38
39
Dev
elo
p n
ew t
echn
olo
gie
s fo
r co
ntro
l whe
re n
eces
sary
, su
ch a
s th
e d
evel
op
men
t o
f lio
nfish
sp
ecifi
c tr
aps
for
use
in d
eep
wat
er
envi
ronm
ents
.
xx
xx
xx
x20
15
Pro
mo
te r
esea
rch
into
the
us
e o
f lio
nfish
fo
r m
edic
inal
p
urp
ose
s.
xx
xx
20
15
Dev
elo
p s
tud
ies
that
p
rom
ote
the
co
nsum
pti
on
of
lionfi
sh (
foo
d s
cien
ce,
e.g
. nut
riti
ona
l co
nten
t)
x
x
xx
20
15
Sup
po
rt s
tud
ies
that
in
vest
igat
e ci
gua
tera
and
o
ther
illn
esse
s th
at m
ay
resu
lt f
rom
the
co
nsum
pti
on
of
lionfi
sh.
xx
xx
xx
20
15
Pro
mo
te s
tud
ies
that
gua
rant
ee t
he
safe
ty o
f lio
nfish
co
nsum
pti
on.
Ob
ject
ive
3: I
nflue
nce
gov
ernm
ents
to
rev
iew
and
am
end
the
rel
evan
t le
gis
lati
on
and
, if
nece
ssar
y, d
evel
op
new
ru
les
and
reg
ulat
ions
fo
r th
e co
ntro
l of
lionfi
sh
The
inv
asio
n o
f lio
nfish
in
the
MA
R r
egio
n ha
s re
veal
ed a
ser
ies
of
gap
s an
d i
nco
nsis
tenc
ies
in p
olic
ies,
law
s an
d
reg
ulat
ions
gov
erni
ng t
he m
anag
emen
t o
f m
arin
e re
sour
ces
in t
he M
AR
co
untr
ies.
So
me
coun
trie
s ha
ve la
ws
and
re
gul
atio
ns s
pec
ifica
lly f
or
lionfi
sh,
or
mo
re b
road
ly t
o a
lien
inva
sive
mar
ine
spec
ies,
tha
t al
read
y ex
ist
at t
he
nati
ona
l lev
el. I
t is
imp
ort
ant
to id
enti
fy p
olic
ies
and
nat
iona
l-le
vel l
egis
lati
on
that
may
faci
litat
e o
r o
bst
ruct
faci
litat
e lio
nfish
co
ntro
l eff
ort
s, a
nd w
here
ap
pro
pri
ate,
see
k to
mo
dif
y th
ese
in o
rder
to
ach
ieve
gre
ater
leg
al c
ohe
renc
e at
the
nat
iona
l lev
el a
s w
ell a
s am
ong
co
untr
ies
and
ter
rito
ries
. It
is a
lso
nec
essa
ry t
o e
valu
ate
the
need
to
fill
gap
s in
exi
stin
g l
egal
fra
mew
ork
s at
the
lo
cal,
nati
ona
l an
d r
egio
nal
leve
ls a
nd f
or
the
ado
pti
on
of
new
po
licie
s an
d
reg
ulat
ions
.
The
pro
ble
ms
are
bes
t so
lved
thr
oug
h le
gal
ap
pro
ache
s ar
e im
po
rt a
nd e
xpo
rt o
f liv
e lio
nfish
fo
r th
e aq
uari
um
trad
e, f
orm
ing
an
exce
pti
on
to e
xist
ing
reg
ulat
ions
to
allo
w f
or
rem
oval
lio
nfish
fro
m “
fish
ing
exc
lusi
on
zone
s”, t
he
use
of
fish
ing
gea
r an
d t
rap
s to
cat
ch li
onfi
sh, a
nd c
om
mer
cial
use
fo
r hu
man
co
nsum
pti
on.
Am
end
men
ts t
o s
om
e o
f th
ese
inst
rum
ents
co
uld
pro
vid
e an
ena
blin
g le
gal
fra
mew
ork
to
co
ntro
l lio
nfish
and
thu
s in
crea
se t
he c
hanc
es o
f su
cces
s o
f co
ntro
l mea
sure
s. G
ener
ally
, ad
just
ing
law
s an
d r
egul
atio
ns t
akes
tim
e, w
hich
rei
nfo
rces
the
imp
ort
ance
fo
r M
AR
co
untr
ies
to b
egin
thi
s p
roce
ss a
s so
on
as p
oss
ible
, in
ord
er t
o i
mp
lem
ent
cont
rol
mea
sure
s in
a t
imel
y m
anne
r. R
egio
nal o
rgan
isat
ions
co
uld
pro
vid
e su
pp
ort
in t
his
reg
ard
.
Stra
teg
ies
Act
ions
Stak
eho
lder
sSc
hed
ule
GO
VA
CA
DO
R/
IOM
R/
AD
ON
GS
PC
LD
NE
F
Pro
mo
te in
stit
utio
nal
arra
ngem
ents
to
co
ord
inat
e ac
tio
ns
that
ad
dre
ss t
he
soci
al, e
cono
mic
an
d e
nvir
onm
enta
l im
pac
ts o
f lio
nfish
.
Car
ry o
ut a
d
iag
nost
ic o
f le
gis
lati
on
in t
he
MA
R c
oun
trie
s lin
ked
to
the
issu
e o
f in
vasi
ve m
arin
e sp
ecie
s
xx
xx
2014
Gro
ups:
Go
b. =
Gov
ernm
ent,
Aca
d.=
Aca
dem
ia, O
R =
Reg
iona
l Org
anis
atio
ns, M
R/A
D=
Res
our
ce M
anag
ers/
PA
Man
ager
s, O
NG
s =
No
n G
over
nmen
tal O
rgan
isat
ions
, SP
= P
riva
te S
ecto
r, C
L =
Lo
cal C
om
mun
itie
s, D
N =
Do
nors
Reg
iona
l Str
ateg
y fo
r th
e C
ont
rol o
f Li
onfi
sh in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an R
eef
(MA
R)
40
41
Fac
ilita
te t
he a
do
pti
on
of
reg
ulat
ions
, sta
ndar
ds
and
na
tio
nal g
uid
elin
es w
hich
ad
dre
ss li
onfi
sh im
pac
ts
xx
x20
15
Iden
tify
and
pro
mo
te t
he
rati
fica
tio
n o
f p
roto
cols
an
d a
sso
ciat
ed c
onv
enti
ons
(T
ulum
Dec
lara
tio
n, S
PAW
, C
onv
enti
on
on
Bio
log
ical
D
iver
sity
, Co
nven
tio
n o
n C
limat
e C
hang
e, e
tcet
era)
xx
x20
15
Pro
mo
te t
he d
evel
op
men
t o
f sp
ecifi
c le
gis
lati
on
to
reg
ulat
e th
e us
e o
f lio
nfish
as
an
orn
amen
tal s
pec
ies.
x20
15-2
016
Leg
ally
sup
po
rt
bes
t p
ract
ices
fo
r th
e co
ntro
l and
ex
plo
itat
ion
of
lionfi
sh
Dev
elo
p t
echn
ical
sp
ecifi
cati
ons
tha
t m
axim
ise
lionfi
sh c
aptu
re a
nd m
inim
ize
by-
catc
hx
xx
2015
-20
16
Whe
re n
eces
sary
, mo
dif
y b
est
pra
ctic
e ru
les
for
lionfi
sh
cont
rol a
nd e
xplo
itat
ion
bas
ed
on
tech
nica
l sp
ecifi
cati
ons
x
2015
-20
16
Pro
mo
te t
he
crea
tio
n an
d
imp
lem
enta
tio
n o
f ec
ono
mic
in
stru
men
ts
that
ince
ntiv
ize
the
cont
rol a
nd
exp
loit
atio
n o
f lio
nfish
Pro
mo
te r
egio
nal p
roje
cts
thro
ugh
fina
ncia
l ins
titu
tio
ns
for
the
dev
elo
pm
ent
and
im
ple
men
tati
on
of
rele
vant
in
cent
ives
xx
xx
xP
erm
anen
t
Cre
ate
mic
rolo
an s
chem
es a
nd
targ
eted
sub
sid
ies/
gra
nts
for
effici
ent
lionfi
sh c
ont
rol
xx
xx
Per
man
ent
Cre
ate
an a
gre
emen
t fo
r th
e p
roce
ssin
g o
f lio
nfish
ac
cord
ing
to
the
mar
ket
need
s w
ithi
n ea
ch o
r th
e fo
ur
coun
trie
s
xx
xx
xP
erm
anen
t
Gro
ups:
Go
b. =
Gov
ernm
ent,
Aca
d.=
Aca
dem
ia, O
R =
Reg
iona
l Org
anis
atio
ns, M
R/A
D=
Res
our
ce M
anag
ers/
PA
Man
ager
s, O
NG
s =
No
n G
over
nmen
tal O
rgan
isat
ions
, SP
= P
riva
te S
ecto
r, C
L =
Lo
cal C
om
mun
itie
s, D
N =
Do
nors
Reg
iona
l Str
ateg
y fo
r th
e C
ont
rol o
f Li
onfi
sh in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an R
eef
(MA
R)
42
43
Ob
ject
ive
4: C
ont
rol l
ionfi
sh p
op
ulat
ion
thro
ugh
effec
tive
and
co
ord
inat
ed r
egio
nal m
etho
ds
Acc
ord
ing
to
cur
rent
tec
hno
log
ies,
man
agem
ent
mec
hani
sms
and
exi
stin
g s
cien
tifi
c kn
ow
led
ge,
era
dic
atio
n o
f lio
nfish
in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an R
eef
is u
nlik
ely.
Ho
wev
er,
it i
s p
oss
ible
to
co
ntro
l lio
nfish
po
pul
atio
ns a
t le
vels
tha
t m
inim
ize
neg
ativ
e im
pac
ts. S
trat
egie
s an
d t
oo
ls t
o c
ont
rol l
ionfi
sh d
iffer
acc
ord
ing
to
loca
l var
iab
les
and
the
sp
atia
l sc
ale
at w
hich
mo
nito
ring
is p
erfo
rmed
. The
ap
plic
atio
n o
f co
ntro
l mea
sure
s an
d a
lloca
tio
n o
f re
sour
ces
acco
rdin
g
to p
rio
riti
zed
ext
ract
ion
pro
vid
es a
dm
inis
trat
ors
mea
sura
ble
ob
ject
ives
res
our
ces
dis
po
sal
pla
ns.
Kno
wle
dg
e ex
chan
ge
on
extr
acti
on
too
ls a
nd t
echn
ique
s ca
n fa
cilit
ate
the
imp
lem
enta
tio
n o
f b
est
pra
ctic
es i
n th
e re
gio
n.
Co
llab
ora
tive
eff
ort
s am
ong
sta
keho
lder
s an
d p
artn
ersh
ip w
ith
sect
ors
tha
t re
ly o
n re
efs,
suc
h as
fish
ing
and
to
uris
m, c
an g
arne
r su
pp
ort
and
exp
and
res
our
ces
for
extr
acti
on.
Stra
teg
ies
Act
ions
Stak
eho
lder
sSc
hed
ule
GO
VA
CA
DO
R/I
OM
R/
AD
ON
GS
PC
LD
N
Iden
tify
are
as w
here
it
is p
oss
ible
to
eff
ecti
vely
co
ntro
l lio
nfish
Defi
ne s
elec
tio
n cr
iter
ia a
nd
det
erm
ine
pri
ori
ty
area
s fo
r lio
nfish
co
ntro
l, in
clud
ing
re
pre
sent
atio
n o
f th
e th
ree
zone
s re
qui
ring
diff
eren
t m
anag
emen
t st
rate
gie
s (m
arin
e p
rote
cted
are
as,
fish
ing
zo
nes
and
d
eep
sea
)
xx
xx
xx
x20
14/2
015
Iden
tify
, rai
se a
nd
allo
cate
fun
ds
and
re
sour
ces
on
a p
erm
anen
t b
asis
to
p
rom
ote
, dev
elo
p
and
imp
lem
ent
mec
hani
sms
and
si
te-s
pec
ific
(mar
ine
pro
tect
ed a
reas
, fish
ing
zo
nes
and
dee
p s
ea)
man
agem
ent
acti
ons
xx
xx
xx
xx
Per
man
ent
Iden
tify
sp
ecifi
c co
ntro
l m
etho
ds
acco
rdin
g t
o
the
pri
ori
tize
d a
reas
w
ithi
n ea
ch o
f th
e th
ree
zone
s (m
arin
e p
rote
cted
are
as, fi
shin
g
zone
s an
d d
eep
sea
)
xx
xx
xx
2014
-20
15
Pro
mo
te t
he a
do
pti
on
of
bes
t p
ract
ices
fo
r co
ntro
l am
ong
in
tere
sted
par
ties
, as
iden
tifi
ed in
“I
nvas
ive
Lio
nfish
: A
Gui
de
to C
ont
rol a
nd
Man
agem
ent”
- M
orr
is,
J.A
. Jr.
-
xx
xx
xx
xx
Per
man
ent
Exe
cute
lio
nfish
co
ntro
l pro
gra
mm
es
Reg
iona
l Str
ateg
y fo
r th
e C
ont
rol o
f Li
onfi
sh in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an R
eef
(MA
R)
44
45
Thr
oug
h sh
arin
g
exp
erie
nces
, hel
p
coun
trie
s to
dev
elo
p
mit
igat
ion
and
co
ntro
l p
lans
, sel
ecti
ng t
he
bes
t av
aila
ble
to
ols
(c
ons
ump
tio
n, fi
shin
g
tour
nam
ents
, etc
eter
a)
dep
end
ing
on
the
stat
us o
f th
e in
vasi
on
and
cap
acit
y at
eac
h si
te
xx
xx
xx
xx
Per
man
ent
Ver
ify
the
app
licat
ion
of
stan
dar
d p
ract
ices
fo
r eff
ecti
ve c
ont
rol.
xx
xx
xP
erm
anen
t
Cre
ate
a p
rog
ram
th
at in
cent
iviz
es t
he
app
licat
ion
of
bes
t p
ract
ices
fo
r co
ntro
l an
d t
hat
rew
ard
s co
ntri
but
ion
to
eco
syst
em r
esili
ence
xx
xx
xx
2015
Co
ntri
but
e to
and
p
rom
ote
eco
syst
em
resi
lienc
e th
roug
h na
tura
l res
our
ce
man
agem
ent
and
eco
syst
em
rest
ora
tio
n p
rog
ram
s
Ad
op
t “I
nvas
ive
Lio
nfish
: A
Gui
de
to C
ont
rol a
nd
Man
agem
ent”
- M
orr
is
J.A
., Jr
. - in
ord
er t
o
esta
blis
h b
est
pra
ctic
es
for
lionfi
sh c
aptu
re,
acco
rdin
g t
o s
pec
ific
cond
itio
ns w
ithi
n ea
ch
coun
try.
xx
xx
xx
xx
2015
Dev
elo
p a
nd im
ple
men
t co
nser
vati
on
and
m
oni
tori
ng p
rog
ram
mes
fo
r lio
nfish
co
ntro
l m
etho
ds
xx
xx
xP
erm
anen
t
Iden
titi
fy a
ran
ge
of
po
tent
ial m
arke
ts f
or
lionfi
sh e
xplo
itat
ion
and
us
e.
xx
xx
xx
x20
15
Iden
tify
and
pro
mo
te
rem
oval
of
exis
ting
b
arri
ers
to p
erm
it
com
pre
hens
ive
lionfi
sh
exp
loit
atio
n ac
cord
ing
to
iden
tifi
ed p
ote
ntia
l m
arke
ts
xx
xx
xx
x20
14/2
015
Cre
ate
an e
co-l
abel
to
p
rom
ote
co
nsum
pti
on
xx
xx
xx
x20
14/2
016
Pro
mo
te d
iver
se
uses
of
lionfi
sh
acro
ss m
ulti
ple
se
cto
rs
Reg
iona
l Str
ateg
y fo
r th
e C
ont
rol o
f Li
onfi
sh in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an R
eef
(MA
R)
46
47
Pro
mo
te d
evel
op
men
t o
f m
arke
t ch
ains
fo
r co
mp
rehe
nsiv
e ex
plo
itat
ion
and
use
of
lionfi
sh (
eco
tour
ism
, aq
uari
um t
rad
e, d
irec
t an
d
valu
e-ad
ded
pro
duc
ts)
xx
xx
xx
xP
erm
anen
t
Ob
ject
ive
5: I
mp
lem
ent
educ
atio
n an
d c
om
mun
icat
ion
pro
gra
mm
e fo
r th
e co
ntro
l an
d m
anag
emen
t o
f lio
nfish
in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an R
eef.
Wel
l-im
ple
men
ted
ed
ucat
ion
and
out
reac
h p
rog
ram
s ca
n he
lp t
o p
osi
tive
ly c
hang
e p
erce
pti
on
and
att
itud
es,
incr
ease
pub
lic p
arti
cip
atio
n, a
nd i
ncre
ase
dir
ect
and
fina
ncia
l su
pp
ort
fro
m g
over
nmen
t. I
n g
ener
al,
the
earl
ier
the
acti
viti
es o
utlin
ed i
n th
is s
trat
egy
are
exec
uted
, th
e m
ore
sup
po
rt t
hey
will
rec
eive
. W
hene
ver
po
ssib
le,
it
is a
dvi
sab
le t
o s
hare
res
our
ces
for
use
in o
ther
inv
asiv
e al
ien
spec
ies
pro
gra
mm
es.
It i
s es
sent
ial
to s
tren
gth
en
com
mun
ity
invo
lvem
ent
and
use
a p
arti
cip
ato
ry a
pp
roac
h fo
r eff
ecti
ve c
ont
rol a
nd m
anag
emen
t.
Stra
teg
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ctio
nsSt
akeh
old
ers
Sche
dul
e
GO
VA
CA
DO
R/
IOM
R/
AD
ON
GS
PC
LD
N
Des
ign
a re
gio
nal
com
mun
icat
ion
pro
gra
mm
e th
at
sup
po
rts
the
oth
er f
our
st
rate
gic
ob
ject
ives
Iden
tify
key
mes
sag
es
for
each
ob
ject
ive
xx
xx
xx
xx
2015
-20
18
Wo
rk w
ith
the
pub
lic
in o
rder
to
uti
lize
the
mo
st im
pac
tful
and
ap
pro
pri
ate
mea
ns
for
info
rmat
ion
dis
sem
inat
ion
(so
cial
m
edia
, rad
io, t
elev
isio
n,
etce
tera
)
xx
xx
xx
xx
Per
man
ent
Cre
ate,
imp
lem
ent
and
eva
luat
e th
e eff
ecti
vene
ss o
f th
e co
mm
unic
atio
n st
rate
gy
xx
xx
Per
man
ent
Inte
gra
te t
he li
onfi
sh
stra
teg
y in
to t
he
agen
da
of
rele
vant
na
tio
nal a
nd r
egio
nal
fora
xx
xx
xx
xx
Per
man
ent
Gro
ups:
Go
b. =
Gov
ernm
ent,
Aca
d.=
Aca
dem
ia, O
R =
Reg
iona
l Org
anis
atio
ns, M
R/A
D=
Res
our
ce M
anag
ers/
PA
Man
ager
s, O
NG
s =
No
n G
over
nmen
tal O
rgan
isat
ions
, SP
= P
riva
te S
ecto
r, C
L =
Lo
cal C
om
mun
itie
s, D
N =
Do
nors
Stra
teg
ies
Reg
iona
l Str
ateg
y fo
r th
e C
ont
rol o
f Li
onfi
sh in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an R
eef
(MA
R)
48
49
Iden
tify
and
ap
pro
ve
key
mes
sag
es f
or
incl
usio
n in
the
d
evel
op
men
t o
f o
utre
ach
mat
eria
ls
xx
xx
2015
Trai
n an
d e
nco
urag
e ad
voca
tes
in t
he u
se
and
fo
r d
istr
ibut
ion
of
mat
eria
lsx
xx
xP
erm
anen
t
Pro
mo
te
com
pre
hens
ive
exp
loit
atio
n an
d u
se
of
lionfi
sh (
tast
ing
ev
ents
, rec
ipie
s, t
he
arts
, etc
eter
a)
xx
xx
xx
xx
Per
man
ent
Co
mp
ile o
utre
ach
exp
erie
nces
fo
r ev
alua
tio
n an
d
adap
tati
on
to
reg
iona
l and
loca
l co
ndit
ions
xx
xx
xx
xP
erm
anen
t
Cre
ate
and
/or
add
to
ex
isti
ng in
form
atio
n d
atab
ases
on
lionfi
sh
mo
nito
ring
, and
use
th
ese
to d
evel
op
o
utre
ach
mat
eria
ls
xx
xx
xx
Oct
20
14
Enc
our
age
the
dev
elo
pm
ent
of
out
reac
h m
ater
ials
o
n lio
nfish
to
sup
po
rt
educ
atio
n an
d
trai
ning
Cre
ate
mec
hani
sms
for
the
dis
sem
inat
ion
of
scie
ntifi
c in
form
atio
n o
n lio
nfish
Dis
sem
inat
e in
form
atio
n o
n th
e ru
les
and
reg
ulat
ions
as
soci
ated
wit
h lio
nfish
co
ntro
l
Cre
ate
an o
ffici
al
pla
tfo
rm f
or
dis
sem
inat
ion
of
spec
ified
rul
es a
nd
reg
ulat
ions
xx
2015
Dis
sem
inat
e o
utre
ach
mat
eria
ls
on
rule
s, r
egul
atio
n an
d b
enefi
ts o
f lio
nfish
co
ntro
l tha
t us
es a
n ac
cess
ible
la
ngua
ge
styl
e
xx
xx
xx
xx
Per
man
ent
Co
mm
unic
ate
the
ado
pti
on
of
bes
t p
ract
ices
fo
r co
ntro
l
xx
xx
xx
2015
/per
man
ent
So
cial
ize
and
im
ple
men
t b
est
pra
ctic
es f
or
and
re
stri
ctio
ns f
or
cont
rol
xx
xx
xx
2015
/per
man
ent
Gro
ups:
Go
b. =
Gov
ernm
ent,
Aca
d.=
Aca
dem
ia, O
R =
Reg
iona
l Org
anis
atio
ns, M
R/A
D=
Res
our
ce M
anag
ers/
PA
Man
ager
s, O
NG
s =
No
n G
over
nmen
tal O
rgan
isat
ions
, SP
= P
riva
te S
ecto
r, C
L =
Lo
cal C
om
mun
itie
s, D
N =
Do
nors
Reg
iona
l Str
ateg
y fo
r th
e C
ont
rol o
f Li
onfi
sh in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an R
eef
(MA
R)
50
51
4. EVALUATION AND MONITORING
This strategy will be evaluated and revised periodically to include new measures, as new developments in the field transpire. These periodic reviews play a key role in defining future priorities, as the lionfish invasion progresses and policies and social priorities change.
Each country will develop a National Action Plan that will be monitored and evaluated by the National Lionfish Committees that are yet to be formed; these actions will influence the progress of the regional strategy.
The Regional Committee will meet annually to assess the impact of regional and national actions, and each National Committee will meet frequently to monitor the implementation of actions at local and national levels.
• http://coris.noaa.gov/exchanges/lionfish/
• Alcolado, P.M. 2008. El pez león amenaza a los arrecifes de Cuba. Informe elaborado en el marco del proyecto PNUD/GEF Sabana-Camagüey.
• Carlton, J.T. 2000. Global change and biological invasions in the oceans. En Invasive species in a changing world (Mooney H.A., y R.J. Hobbs, eds.). Island Press, Washington D.C., 457pp.
• Courtenay, W.R. 1995. Marine fish introductions in southeastern Florida. American Fisheries Society Introduced Fish Section Newsletter, 14:2-3
• Gómez Lozano, R., L. Anderson, J.L. Akins, D.S.A. Buddo, G. García-Moliner, F. Gourdin, M. Laurent, C. Lilyestrom, J.A. Morris, Jr., N. Ramnanan, and R. Torres. 2013. Estrategia regional para el control del Pez León invasor en el Gran Caribe. Iniciativa Internacional sobre los Arrecifes Coralinos. 32 pp.
• Morris, J.A., Jr. (Ed.) 2013. El pez león invasor: guía para su control y manejo. Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute Special Publication Series, No.2, Marathon, Florida, USA. 126 pp.
• Morris, J.A., Jr., y P.E. Whitfield. 2009. Biology, Ecology, Control and Management of the Invasive Indo-Pacific Lionfish: An Updated Integrated Assessment. NOAA. Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS, 99, 57 pp.
• Schofield, P.J. 2009. Geographic extent and chronology of the invasion or non-native lionfish (Pterois volitans [Linnaeus 1758] and P. miles [Bennett 1828]) in the Western North Atlantic and Caribbean Sea. Aquatic Invasions, 4(3):473-479.
• Whitfield P.E., J.A. Hare, A.W. David, S.L. Harter, R.C. Muñoz, y C.M. Addison. 2007. Abundance estimates of the Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans /miles complex in the Western North Atlantic. Biol. Invasions, 9:53–64.
• Terms of Reference of the ICRI Ad-Hoc Committee on Caribbean Regional Response to Lionfish Invasion .2012. pp
• “Lionfish Response Plan, a Systematic Approach to Managing Impacts from the Lionfish, an Invasive Species, in Units of the National Park System”. 2012. http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/nrpm/nrr.cfm
• Plan para el Manejo y Control del Pez León Pterois volitans en el Caribe Colombiano 2012-2014. pp
Bibliography
© DIPESCA© DIPESCA
Reg
iona
l Str
ateg
y fo
r th
e C
ont
rol o
f Li
onfi
sh in
the
Mes
oam
eric
an R
eef
(MA
R)
52
Appendix 1. Members of the Regional Lionfish Committee in the Mesoamerican Reef System
MEXICO
• CONANP• CONAPESCA
GUATEMALA
• CONAP• DIPESCA• FUNDACIONMUNDOAZUL• IARNA/URL• MARN• FCG• FUNDAECO• CECON
BELIZE
• TIDE• FISHERIESDEPARTMENT• BLUEVENTURES• PROTECTEDAREASCONSERVATIONTRUST(PACT)• CZMAI
HONDURAS
• ROATANMARINEPARK• ICF
REGIONAL ACTORS
• MARFund• SPAWRAC/UNEP• WWF• REEFCHECK• ICRI• HRI
© DIPESCA
