This is issue has been on our radar for some time, in most part due to contributor Phil Karp‘s posts on his work with groups in Belize and other parts of the Caribbean focused on this goal. The concept of “If You Can’t Beat ’em, Wear ’em” carries a powerful message of innovative practices to manage the invasive species that’s causing havoc in the southern Atlantic and Caribbean waters.

The venomous and invasive lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific, is a serious threat to endemic species in the Caribbean and up the Atlantic coast. For several years, people in Sarteneja, Belize, have been harvesting the fish to eat—and now they’re using the fish’s spines to make jewelry.

Click on the image above to watch the National Geographic video.