Eat Lionfish and Save the Environment Demand To Sell Lionfish ATTENTION ALL WINNIPEG SHOPPERS: Eat Lionfish and Save the Environment Demand To Sell Lionfish  Invasive Specie an organism that is not-native to a location & has negative effects on the environment.1 By-catch unwanted fish caught during commercial fishing.1 The Issue Lionfish are now top "The lionfish invasion is probably the worst environmental disaster the Atlantic will ever face2” predators (consume ~50 different species) & have no predators in non-native range – except for humans Out-breeding, out-competing & outliving native fish stocks Florida & Bermuda are reporting lionfish by-catch (more than 100 lionfish landed per day) 3 Walmart’s Role Figure 3. Invasive lionfish sightings from 1985-2014 in Atlantic Ocean & Caribbean Sea.7 Lionfish Pterois volitans Identification: Maroon and white stripes covering head & body with fleshy tentacles. Native Range: South Pacific and Indian Oceans.2 Non-native Range: Invasive off the East Coast of the U.S. & the Caribbean Sea (Figure 3).2 First Sighting: Florida, 1985. Aquarium owners are blamed for release.2 Habitat: Warm marine waters & found at depths from 1 - 1000 feet.2 Diet: Carnivore. Size: 30-38 cm.2 Life Span: 15 years.2 Reproduce: A female can spawn more than 2 million eggs per year.2 Special Precautions: Tentacles deliver venomous sting. Economic Importance: Popular in aquarium trade & as food source. Develop a global market and sell lionfish - Walmart operates in over 27 countries Locally, countries have already taken the initiative to sell lionfish and market them in restaurants Walmart Please Contact: Blue Ventures Belize Exotic Meat Market Traditional Fisheries Reef Environmental Education Foundation + The Solution Walmart should sell lionfish *Lionfish contain a higher percentage of healthy fatty acids than other fish species (Figure 1)3 *Regions currently catch lionfish through spearfishing, hand nets & by-catch = Walmart should work with local countries who currently fish for lionfish Figure 4. Purchase The Lionfish Cookbook off of: www.amazon.com 8 Find lionfish sold at these Walmart locations: Figure 1. Percent saturated and monosaturated fats and Omega-3 & Omega-6 fatty acids.4 References 1. www.dictionary.com 2. www.oceanserviice.noaa.gov 3. Morris et al. (2011). Nutritional properties of the invasive lionfish. AACL Bioflux. 4(1): 21-26. 4. Weaver et al. (2008). The content of favorable and unfavorable polyunsaturated fatty acids found in commonly eaten fish. J Am Diet Assoc 108:1178-1185. 5. Direct quote from Graham Maddocks, Presidentof Ocean Support Foundation. Retrieved from: www.cnn.com 6. www.maps.google.ca 7. www.nas.er.usgs.gov 8. www.amazon.com Figure 2. There are seven Walmart locations in Winnipeg, Manitoba.6