This little catch-phrase needs some explanation, so here is the condensed version:

Some species of fish tend to be selectively overfished from the reefs because of their popularity on the menus of fish restaurants. It is hard to introduce legislation to protect individual species, so mostly the ‘rules’ protect the reef (and its inhabitants), as a whole. However, that doesn’t mean that with a little education, we can’t all help to drive the market for fishes that ‘end up on the plate’ away from those that benefit the reef, and towards those that are harmful.

Parrot fish are hugely beneficial to the health of the reef and beaches, in many ways, but Lionfish are highly destructive! (Listen to my talk/live painting demo to hear how and why…)

Hence my favourite phrase, “Eat Lions, not Parrots”!

If you’d like to hear the whole story, whilst watching me create a full-size painting during the two-hour demo and talk, you can contact me about watching this recorded demo with your Art Club or Society. Or I can create a demo for your group, around another of my environmentally inspired tales. (Contact me by email here.)

Here are two of the paintings featured in the talk. Can you guess which fish is which?