In the past few years, conservationists have been working to have Caribbean peoples swap out the popular parrotfish on their menus for lionfish, arguing that there is an overabundance of the latter, while the brightly coloured sand-producing parrotfish is on the decline.

They argue, too, that lionfish can be prepared in all the styles parrotfish is traditionally done — steamed, escoveitched, roasted, and fried.

One of the proposals was to impose a ban on parrotfish or to implement seasonal fishing of the species, but Caribbean governments appeared not to have taken heed.

The latest strategy — a project to raise awareness and promote partnerships — is being implemented by the Parrot Fish Working Group of the Conservation Leadership in the Caribbean (CLiC) Fellowship Program. The group has been conducting socio-economic research among fishers, vendors, and restaurateurs, and will present its findings to members of the NGO community, government agencies, educators, and faculty at St George’s University in Grenada later this month.

“Parrotfish are the most important producers of the sea sand that builds white sand beaches in the Caribbean, a major resource of the region’s tourism industry…but their populations continue to experience critical decline due to overfishing and invasive lionfish,” a member of the working group, Dr Leo Douglas, told the Jamaica Observer.

“The species also consumes algal overgrowth on offshore reefs, maintaining healthy corals, and by so doing sustaining commercially important fisheries on which hundreds of thousands of fisher-folk depend. Additionally, parrotfish is a culturally important food source islands such as Jamaica. Unfortunately, the heavy consumer demand for parrotfish for cultural dishes such as escoveitched and steamed fish has made these fishes more vulnerable to the emerging threats of predatory lionfish and reef-destroying climate change,” he continued.

Among the things the Parrotfish Working Group will present in Grenada are data to show that:

(1) Parrotfish make up at least 50 per cent of fish sales for market vendors;

(2) There is growing interest among local restaurants to include lionfish on their menus; and

(3) Training of fisher folk in lionfish handling and preparation is essential, as many vendors currently lack experience in proper handling techniques to prevent injuring themselves on the stinging spines of the lionfish that need to be removed during food preparation.

CLiC is a new regional initiative offering fully funded scholarships to young aspiring environmental leaders. The goal of the 18-month programme is to enable Caribbean citizens to benefit from high-level mentorship and project experience working across national and organisational boundaries on issues that improve the study and management of pressing Caribbean environmental challenges. It is funded by the international office of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and St George’s University.

Eighteen fellows were competitively selected from the following 11 countries: Anguilla, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, Colombia, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Trinidad & Tobago. Douglas and Gabrielle-Jae Watson from the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust are the Jamaican representatives.