Lion Fish - Kill ‘em!
Sharks – Save them now, please!
Marathon holds many things to do as it is both a cruising community and a real town. Both are concerned about the water and the creatures it holds. One night a conservancy group held a gathering to watch two films for discussion. The first film was about shark conservancy & Soup – the number of sharks being killed for their fins for the Asian market is horrendous. Seeing piles & piles of fins for sale is sickening. Sharks are being overfished and their populations are dwindling fast. They are not the enemy, but a valuable part of the eco-system. China has begun a PSA for television o show how stupid, selfish and deadly their love of Shark Fin Soup truly is. It asks Chinese to pledge to avoid making and ordering the killer Soup. I hope it has an effect on them before it’s too late.
The second film and discussion was on Lionfish, which is a situation just the opposite of shark. We want Lionfish dead. We want you to hunt, spear, and order them if you see lionfish on restaurant menus. Lionfish are from the south pacific and they are beautiful. So beautiful many people order them for their fish tank. Many stupid people get rid of the lion fish in their tanks by dumping them into the ocean. Lionfish have made their way to Florida and the Caribbean in a big way. Here’s the rub – the Lionfish eat fish, lots of fish. Fish who clean the reefs of algae; the algae overpopulation is smothering and killing our reefs. The result of lionfish overpopulation is no fish/no reef. The reefs are vital to all of us, not just snorkelers and divers! So go ahead and order that Lionfish fritter or filet – it’s good for your world!