LOCAL A13
Tuesday 13 December 2016
Support Aruba Marine Park Foundation Conservation Efforts
balance of our beautiful
corals,could be in peril.
Hadicurari- How can we
stop an invasive species
of fish that overpopulates
and threatens our healthy
reefs? WE HUNT THEM AND
EAT THEM!
Lionfish Tournaments held
to hunt invasive species
In their continued efforts
to control the damage on
our eco system, causedby
invasive Lionfish, a month
long war was waged, by
the Aruba Marine Park
Foundation. Spear headed by Byron Boekhoudt
and Castro Perez, a high
spirited
competitionwith
a cash prize incentive,
brought together an amazing group of eco-minded
people with the sole purpose to battle, spear, extract this terrible species of
fish whichhas invaded Aruba and plagues our reefs. .
Spawning
constantly,
tens of thousands of eggs
each week, the Lionfish
will devour more than 70
different marine species
which have made our
reefs their home. With no
known ocean predator
in Aruba, Marine Biologist
Byron Boekhoudt explains,
‘the greedy Lionfish must
Protection Efforts help
Byron and Castro remain
diligent in their resolve to
protect our reef life, before
the ravenous invader destroys our ecosystems,by
teaching divers and snorkelers how to safely hunt,
spear and clean Lionfish.CastroPerez
reports
November’sTournament
hauled in a whopping 250
kilos of Lionfish.This translates into 1,244 Lionfish intruders which were extracted off Aruba’s reefs. As a
direct result of thetournament an estimated six million sea and reef creatures
were protected.
be contained by Humans,
because if left alone it will
gobble up anything it can
fit in its mouth, devastating our reefs and our local fish supply.’ Yellow tail
snapper, lobster, grouper,
red snapper, tuna, parrotfish and angelfish, which
are all vital to the proper
Raising Funds and Awareness in our Community
Aruba Marine Park Foundation co-hosts a successful third annual Lionfish and
Wine Tasting Event held at
Nos Clubhuis.
Continued on page 14
A14 LOCAL
Tuesday 13 December 2016
Support Aruba Marine Park Foundation Conservation Efforts
Continued from page 13
“Tasty Lionfish tapas paired
with lovely wines is a terrific
way to bring together ecominded people to solve
one of Aruba’s challenges’ explains co-organizer,
Carla Cavallaro of the Water sports company, Jolly
Pirateswho thanked the
community for supporting
the Fundraiser efforts. Carla
remains passionate about
bringing the community together each yearto celebrate the achievements of
the tournament while also
raising more awareness.
Responsible Chefs serve Lionfish
Boasting it’s health benefits, super excited Chef Lyssette Van der Bizen of Divi
Pure Lime explains, “Lion-
Clive Faustin.
Aruba’s typical hospitality, generousfunding and
volunteerismensuredthe
evening’s success from
D’Art, Graficas Aruba, Nos
fish is one of the best-tasting and freshest fish you
will find in Aruba” Being a
part of the solution while
showing her love for Aruba,
Chef Lyssette encouraged
this year’s party goers to
do the same by supporting responsible restaurants
who serve Lionfish. .
To get these tasty fish on
more of Aruba’s dinner
plates, fundraiser co-sponsor, Aruba Wine and Dine
brought three of their most
creative chefs to feed 150
party goers.Mango Ceviche, Crispy Tacos and Caribbean style Patacones
were served with Caribbean flair byArmando Hernandez, Joost Boerman
and Ilja Cybulski.
The Island needs more responsible chefs like Andriani Geerman, owner of E
Sushi Shap in Tanki Leendert. To improve Aruba’s
marine conservation efforts, Andriani’s menu features several creative Lionfish choices. “Because
it’s light and delicately fla-
vored, is not the only reason, I cook with Lionfish, it’s
also because we’re the
only predator the Lionfish
has and, it’s one of the
healthiest fish you can enjoy in Aruba.
Aruba Marine Park Charitable Supporters and Sponsors
Each of the Fundraiser’s
five chefs Lionfish tastes
were generously paired
with lovely wines, compliments of Romar Trading
and chosen by sommeliers
Fernanda Gimenez and
Clubhuis, Jolly Pirates Aruba, Lionfish Hunters, Romar
Trading and Aruba Wine
and Dine.Organizers are
grateful for the support of
Ilia Van der Vaart of EPIC
Aruba for their lovely décor, talented saxophonist,
Jairo Valles Alvarado for his
gift of music which contributed to the evening’s lively
affair.
Eat them to beat them!
Support the initiatives of
the Aruba Marine Park
Foundation by spreading
awareness of Lionfish derby’s and competitions to
prevent Lionfish from being
permanent residents on
our reefs.
When you support responsible restaurants which
serve Lionfish, you are doing your part to protect
Aruba from one of the
most destructive predators
in the ocean. q