Eat a Lionfish, Save a Reef

For about a decade, the Caribbean has been facing the plague of lionfish. The invasive species was not native to the waters but began to appear in the 1990s and has proven to be such a voracious eater and breeder, with no natural predators, that it has taken over reefs throughout the region. In some areas, it is virtually the only species left. In recent years, a campaign to hunt and eat lionfish has gained momentum. The Colombian government is a major supporter, and along with help from Jorge Rausch, the executive chef of Colombia’s best restaurant, it has gotten lionfish on the menu at many restaurants in the country. Officials in Bogotá estimate that every lionfish that gets eaten saves more than 30 fish in the wild. So do your part next time you’re in the Caribbean for a meeting and eat a lionfish.