8/19/2019 Monthly Achievement Report Pez Maya June 2015

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Pez MayaJune 2015

The 2015 Pez Maya Lionf ish Derby

Objectives:

•  To raise money and support the GVI Nepal project in deliveringaid supplies to victims of the May 2015 earthquakes.

•  To continue with the eradication of an invasive species in theSian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve marine area.

•  To introduce the new Lionfish research project at Pez Maya.

Summary:

Pez Maya ran a Lionfish Derby on Friday 22 May 2015 to raise money to support theGVI Nepal project, in order to supply much needed aid supplies to victims of the May2015 earthquakes

In the week leading up to the event the volunteers underwent intensive training onthe biology, behavior and how to hunt the invasive species of fish, Lionfish. Safetyrequirements were paramount and training was conducted both on land and in water.Two teams were created from volunteers and staff combined, called ‘The Guardiansof the Reef’ and ‘The Avengers’, who raised as much money as possible in the shorttimeframe.

The competition consisted of different categories including most caught, biggest fish,smallest fish, timed spear assembly, and a cooking competition. Both teams didamazingly well and managed to hunt 18 Lionfish in a single day. In the end thewining team was “The Guardians of the Reef”, but both teams were highly successfulin not only ridding the Sian Ka’an reef of 18 voracious predators but also raising inexcess of US$800 for the GVI Nepal support effort. 

Report:

Lionfish are a threat to our reefs. This invasive species is eating the native fish without anyone to stop them. Not even

sharks seem interested in them. Someone needs to make a stand, and that someone is us, the Pez Maya team.

So with that on mind we decided to organize “THE HUNT”. This event had a triple purpose; the main one, of course, tohelp our reef by removing some of the Lionfish found in the area. The second was to help our fellow GVI colleagues inNepal by raising money to buy supplies for the earthquake victims of the May 2015 earthquakes in that area. And, lastbut not least, this hunt was the launch of our new Lionfish research project at Pez Maya, were we will study, monitorand dissect this species in a more structured program.

The event had the participation of two teams, ‘The Guardians of the Reef’ and ‘The Avengers’. On the first day aknowledge test was organized that included questions about the biology, behavior and history of this fish. The

 Avengers took the victory at this first challenge, so they were ahead before the big day!

Figure 1. Participants of the Lionfish derby.

Figure 2. Hunting Lionfish.

8/19/2019 Monthly Achievement Report Pez Maya June 2015

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The following days consisted of intense training through watching videos, receiving lectures, practising using the spearon land, and then in water; and finally finishing off with thorough safety precautions, especially on handling the fishafter they have been shot.

Then came the day for the big hunt and we were all prepared to enter the water and catch as many Lionfish aspossible. The teams were excited and created songs to rally the troops. Our battleground was the diving site famousfor the amount of Lionfish sightings, Special K. To make it fair the direction the teams could go in were switched on thetwo different dives, north or south for 38 minutes to catch as many Lionfish as possible.

The first dive proved to be most productive with The Guardians of the Reef capturing seven, while The Avengerscaptured five. The second dive of the day was not as productive as the first but The Guardians of the Reef managed tocapture four more while The Avengers captured two more. By the end of the hunting The Guardians of the Reef tookthe victory with this part of the competition by removing eleven Lionfish from the Sian Ka’an reserve. In total animpressive eighteen Lionfish were removed from the reef in one day.

With the hunting completed for the day, and all the trophies had been admired and photographed it was time to moveto the next parts of the competition. All fish were measured, filleted, and dissected and the information recorded.Interesting finds in the stomachs were things like juvenile filefish, and a praying Mantis Shrimp – showing what avoracious predator the Lionfish really is. Ability games were played of who could assemble the spear the quickest etc,both teams seemed evenly matched over the course of the day, and it seemed as though it was anyone’s game!

The final part of the competition for the day was the cooking challenge, enthusiastically judged by one staff memberwho was impervious to bribery. Points were up for grabs for presentation, originality and flavour. The Guardians of theReef were a little more elegant, creating a breaded Lionfish dish served with white wine and dipping sauces. A waiterwas asked to deliver the plate while the judge was sitting at a table overlooking the ocean while listening to classicalmusic. The Avengers were a little more daring and created a ceviche full with flavour, strategically placed along thetorso of one of the team members, who wore a simple palm loincloth. That act earned them the prize of the bestpresentation (and a lot of laughter) while Guardians of the Reef won the award for originality and best flavour.

 At the end of the day, owing to their teamwork and hunting prowess,the winning team was The Guardians of the Reef and although thatgroup was a little behind in other challenges, the amount of fish theycaught and amount of funds raised carried them to victory.

In total 18 Lionfish (a new record in Pez Maya) were captured and

more than US$800 was donated to the GVI Nepal project.

This event besides being very entertaining proved to be highlysuccessful. We hope to repeat this hunt soon. We will keep youposted.

For more information about the Pez Maya project pelase see our website page: http://www.gvi.co.uk/programs/marine-conservation-expedition-mexico/ For more information about the Emergency relief for Nepal earthquate, where the funds were directed please see ourwebsite page: http://gvi.org/portfolio/emergency-relief-for-nepal-earthquake/ 

Figure 3. Lionfish.