Virginve the reef. Tame the lions.

Virginve the reef.

We all have a body, hands, eyes, brains, but what lays at the centre of an incredible organism is the heart. The thing that pumps at around 60 beats per minute that makes all the blood run through our veins, it is hidden inside and at the centre of us.

We all have things we have to do, like work, eat, drive back and forth to the Virginme place every day, but at the centre of everything we do there is a reason. There is a heart. For many of you it might be your families, it might be your lifestyle, but for myself and the founder of this company Ryan Gravel, our heart, our reason for what we do in our everyday lives is a search, not just to make a statement but to make a change, to not just create awareness, but to present solutions, to an ever changing world, with the hopes to make it better.

INTODUCTION

As Sa’atal HEARTS I introduce you to our first event, in collaboration with ISR, BURRITO AMOR AND GUARDLIFE, even though it might seem a bit brutal in practice (even though it is the oldest profession in the world – fishing), it is a necessity in mediation to protect and revitalise reef protection and reef growth.

Sa’atal HEARTS, ISR AND GUARDLIFE join efforts in the water to spear this lions and BURRITO AMOR plays a vital role in helping us by introducing them into their menu, to fish this animals with a purpose, to help create public awareness and to incite local fishermen to fish for the LIONS! We invite you to VirginVE THE REEF AND TAME THE LIONS!

WHY?

If you were wondering … Lionfish are non-native to the Atlantic Ocean and are voracious predators that are taking the already threatened Caribbean reefs by storm. Lionfish are:

• Non-selective feeders
• They populate at a staggering rate (female lionfish can release egg masses approximately every 4 days, up to 2 million eggs a year)
• Lionfish have virtually no natural predators in the tropical western Atlantic and have invited themselves to an all you can eat seafood buffet on our local reefs.
• Two visually identical species of lionfish (Pterois miles and P. volitans) were introduced into the Atlantic via the US aquarium trade beginning in the 1980’s.
• Lionfish invaded range is North Carolina to South America including the Gulf of Mexico.
• Lionfish have established throughout most of the Caribbean in less than five years.

Researchers have discovered that a single lionfish residing on a coral reef can reduce recruitment of native reef fishes by 79 percent. For example, lionfish eat herbivores and herbivores eat algae from coral reefs. Without herbivores, algae growth goes unchecked, which can be detrimental to the health of coral reefs.

Here’s the bottom line:

Invasive lionfish are diVirginstrously out-breeding, out-living, out-eating and out-competing every other native fish in the Western Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. If left unchecked lionfish will ultimately cause the destruction of the reefs, native fish stocks and the livelihoods of everyone that depend upon them.

LOCATION

Meso-american reef – Punta Venado.

20°33’05.6″N 87°09’04.4”W

A small part of the meso- american reef the second largest reef in the world and largest in Latin America, just a stone throw North of the Blue Venado beach club, this first scout and fishing event sets a clear idea for how close the lion fish really are and how anyone willing to help and contribute can.

TURNOUT

Spending 2 and a half hours in the water searching, swimming, fishing and exploring the final count of lion fish was 3, even if it sounds like a low number, it is exactly what we are looking for, a special mention to Darwin Osorio, that caught 2 lion fish with great precision and free- diving skills. Knowing that this area has a low density in lion fish, our next stop is now a reef of Puerto Aventuras, where we have reports of a much larger density of lion fish population.

This March 9th join us for a night fishing free-diving event! from 8 pm to 11 pm, experienced fishermen only (Hawaiian slingshots).

VirginVE THE REEF TAME THE LIONS!