Greenpeace visited Cozumel

The Greenpeace vessel “Arctic Sunrise”, visited the island from November 27-December 2, 2010 to promote the danger of the global warming and its effects. The vessel was opened to the public, and many people from Cozumel and the Maya Riviera were able to take a tour on board of one of the popular vessels that according to Greenpeace this vessel began its Greenpeace life during the "Brent Spar" campaign where it was used to prevent dumping oil installations at sea.

There was a minor incident with some people from Cancun that arrive to the island with a baby tiger and they wanted to take a tour but the representative from Greenpeace didn’t allow entering the vessel. The staff was very upset and they were concerned that people continue to have wild animals as pets instead of protecting them.

To learn more about Greenpeace visit: http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/

By Jorge Gonzalez
www.mexicandiver.com

DEMA SHOW 2010 COVERAGE

Las Vegas, November 17, 2010


Our first day at DEMA show 2010 in Las Vegas was and exited and busy day, walking through many exhibitors from all over the world introducing their new products and services was a very interesting tour. We began our walk at the Mexico pavilion were many representatives from hotel and dive shops from Cozumel and the Mayan Riviera gather to promote their business. We visited our old friend Apple from Dive Paradise.

It was very impressive and captivated the new design housing models for Sigma cameras and Sony cameras. Mr. Yamamoto president and designer of Aquapazza was introducing for the first time a new housing product that which include a magnetic mechanism that is used as lens gear.

The coverage of DEMA show 2010 will continue.

Mexico’s first Regional Lionfish Strategy Workshop

AUGUST 25 - 28, 2010.
More than 30 representatives of different countries such as Jamaica, Cuba, Belize, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Netherlands Antilles, Martinique, Bonaire, Cayman Island, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Bermuda, Venezuela, Canada, and Mexico, as well specialists from Mexico Comisión Nacional de Acuacultura y Pesca (CONAPESCA), Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP), Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO), and the National Institute of Ecology, participated at the Regional Lionfish Strategy Workshop celebrated in Cancun, Mexico.

During the general assembly of the International Initiative for Coral Reef Initiative in January, was created a committee with the purpose to develop strategies to help the control of lionfish in the Caribbean and Cancun was chosen to become the venue of the Regional Lionfish Strategy Workshop hosted and chaired by Mexican National Commission of Natural Protected Areas, (SEMARNAT), and Coral Reef Conservation Program (NOAA).

In this event they discussed different strategies such as establish the basis for the generation of species information, identify local and national strategies to control invasive lionfish, Develop effective communication tools to reach out to local communities so they can address the consequences of these invasions, and plan activities and policies across the region for the control, traffic, import, export and marketing of invasive species.

Story by. Jorge E. Gonzalez
Photo cortesy of Parque Marino de Cozumel.

Second Lionfish Fishing Tournament

Cozumel, May 2010, - Ricardo Gomez Lozano, Director of the Marine Park in Cozumel, stated that after a successful fishing tournament event last February,( a record number of 115 Lionfish caught) , there would be a second Lionfish fishing tournament scheduled for May 30, 2010. This tournament will be one of the many efforts made to keep fighting the island’s fast growing population of Lionfish. There will be many monetary prizes and a demonstration of the different ways that lionfish can be cooked.

Picture by Jorge Marino