FWC hosts tournament to harvest invasive lionfish for a chance to win prizes
Image of lionfish (Photo courtesy of FWC)
LAKE MARY, Fla. - The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wants to encourage and award divers that will help thin out an invasive species of fish in our oceans.
From now until September 6, divers can capture lionfish across the state of Florida for the chance to win different awards.
What are lionfish?
Lionfish are an invasive species that are originally found in the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea. They often lurk in Florida reefs hunting their choice of prey of native fish that play important ecological roles according to the FWC website.
Lionfish are red, white, and brown with a striped appearance. They have 18 venomous spines that should be avoided during capture says the FWC.
According to the FWC, female lionfish can lay about 15,000 eggs each and since the mid-2000s, lionfish have been showing up in areas they were previously not found in such as along the northern Gulf of Mexico.
MORE NEWS: Things to do this weekend in Orlando: 5 events and festivals not to miss - July 29-31
How can I participate in the tournament?
The FWC requires divers to participate in one category – recreational or commercial. Those with an active Saltwater Products License and commercial lionfish sales within the last year must register for the commercial category according to the FWC.
To submit your catch, commercial divers should follow these steps:
- After harvesting your lionfish, sell them to a licensed wholesale dealer and get a copy of your trip ticket verifying the commercial sale.
- After obtaining your trip ticket, complete a Commercial Trip Ticket Submission here
For recreational divers attempting to submit their catches, follow these steps:
- After harvesting your lionfish, remove tails leaving a bit of meat attached and place in a plastic sandwich bag(s)
- Label bag(s) with harvester name, phone number, date of harvest and number of tails
- Bring tails and a tail verification form to a local Checkpoint to verify your harvest.
- The Checkpoint will count your tails, sign your verification form, and return the form to you and keep the tails for their records.
- Checkpoint locations and verification forms can be found on our website: FWCReefRangers.com
- After verifying your tails at a Checkpoint, you may complete a Recreational Tail Submission here.
How is the tournament going so far?
According to a post made by the FWC, the number of people participating in the tournament is up 50 percent from last year.
The FWC said about 13,250 lionfish have been harvested this far with 150 participants submitting fish. Currently, Duval County is leading the board with 3,882 lionfish submitted
MORE NEWS: Central Florida's rental crisis: Orlando lawmakers call for more affordable housing
What prizes can I receive?
Prizes are fashioned in a tier system, which means the more fish you catch, the more prizes you get:
Tier 1- Harvest 25 lionfish (recreational category) or 25 lbs of lionfish (commercial category)
Tier 2- Harvest 100 lionfish (recreational category) or 250 lbs of lionfish (commercial category)
Tier 3- Harvest 300 lionfish (recreational category) or 500 lbs of lionfish (commercial category)
Tier 4- Harvest 600 lionfish (recreational category) or 1000 lbs of lionfish (commercial category)
According to the FWC, all who reach Tier 1 will be awarded with a 2022 Lionfish Challenge Coin, which allows the harvester to capture one extra spiny lobster each day during the 2022 Sport Season.
Harvesters that reach Tier 1 will also be entered in raffle with a variety of donated prizes. Raffles will be announced on the following dates:
- June 3rd- 2 winners
- July 1st – 4 winners
- August 12th – 4 winners
- September 2nd – 2 winners