{"product_id":"cook-lionfish-recipes-suitable-for-any-white-fish-9780578866628","title":"Cook Lionfish: Recipes Suitable for Any White Fish","description":"\u003cp\u003eOur story \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2003, Polly Alford Founded Reef Conservation International (Reef CI). A nonprofit marine conversation organization that through tourism, focused on the general health of the coral reefs and commercial species in Southern Belize.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2009, ReefCI created a lionfish program concentrating on removing lionfish, dissecting them and collecting data. The program became their primary conservation project, together with an initiative to create awareness and vertical markets. 7 years later, during 2016 the same organization removed over 7,000 lionfish! \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough various schemes, they helped Belize establish a culture that placed a value on lionfish. In the beginning, the general consensus in Belize was that lionfish was poisonous and people were afraid to eat it! \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSpreading awareness through social media, booths at events and through their guests, Reef CI helped change that perception. Every week Polly did a presentation about lionfish to an average of 14 people on visiting sailboats. They also got to taste different lionfish dishes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen the guests asked what they could do to help, it was suggested that they go back to Placencia village and ask for lionfish in restaurants. This helped create a demand! If there is a desire to eat a particular fish at restaurants, there is a desire to fish that species.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRestaurants are now demanding lionfish in Belize and fisherman are being paid a high dollar value per pound for lionfish. In November 2015, Polly got invited to San Andres, Colombia to talk at the Forum of Sustainable Tourism on Small Islands.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Belize is a model for us in conservation and environmental protection, especially in the application of lionfish population and strategies. We could not find a better example of that than you guys are doing at ReefCI in Belize\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Lionfish University","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50448330850578,"sku":"9780578866628","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_02b09e30-4b85-41fd-bcdb-f14bd5bd5dfd.jpg?v=1729733581","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/cook-lionfish-recipes-suitable-for-any-white-fish-9780578866628","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}