FWC has been fully immersed in lionfish control efforts, from regulatory changes, to educational and removal incentive programs and
tournament assistance. While there is a lot that
remains unknown about lionfish, such as their
population size, we have learned a lot about the
invasive species in the past few years including
how to encourage the public to remove and
eat them. Stakeholder reports that lionfish are
becoming harder to find on frequently-visited
M E S S A G E F R O M T H E C H A I R M A N
reefs is a positive sign that our efforts are making a difference on a local scale. And that is
one more reason we are excited about the
2017 Lionfish Challenge. This statewide event
incorporates the popular aspects of last year’s
removal incentive program and adds even
more. To start, participants can now qualify
by removing only 25 lionfish (or 25 pounds
commercially). This is down from last year’s
qualification requirement of 50 lionfish, which
will hopefully encourage even more people
to participate. This year, harvesters are also
separated into recreational or commercial categories (commercial saltwater products license
holders with lionfish sales in the past year are
automatically included in this category). This
change not only allows recreational harvesters a better chance at winning the top prize
of Lionfish King or Queen, but it also allows
the commercial harvesters to participate
conveniently via photos of their electronic
trip tickets, while still being able to sell their
catch in whole condition (recreational harvesters must submit lionfish tails at designated
statewide checkpoint locations). In addition
to the recreational Lionfish King or Queen,
a Commercial Champion will be crowned on
Sept. 10 at the Lionfish Safari tournament in
St. Petersburg. All participants will receive
a qualification prize for their efforts, which
includes a commemorative coin, t-shirt, and
chance to take an extra spiny lobster per day
during the two-day mini-season. Participants
that harvest greater than 25 lionfish can qualify for additional tiered prizes.
Interested in participating? Harvesters must
register first (also a new feature of the program)
at MyFWC.com/Lionfish. This program runs
through Sept. 4, 2017. Missed this year’s chance
to participate? Check out our many other ways
to get involved on the website as well.
Brian Yablonski
Chairman, Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission
FWC continues exploring new and exciting lionfish removal incentive programs
45
tournament assistance. While there is a lot that
remains unknown about lionfish, such as their
population size, we have learned a lot about the
invasive species in the past few years including
how to encourage the public to remove and
eat them. Stakeholder reports that lionfish are
becoming harder to find on frequently-visited
M E S S A G E F R O M T H E C H A I R M A N
reefs is a positive sign that our efforts are making a difference on a local scale. And that is
one more reason we are excited about the
2017 Lionfish Challenge. This statewide event
incorporates the popular aspects of last year’s
removal incentive program and adds even
more. To start, participants can now qualify
by removing only 25 lionfish (or 25 pounds
commercially). This is down from last year’s
qualification requirement of 50 lionfish, which
will hopefully encourage even more people
to participate. This year, harvesters are also
separated into recreational or commercial categories (commercial saltwater products license
holders with lionfish sales in the past year are
automatically included in this category). This
change not only allows recreational harvesters a better chance at winning the top prize
of Lionfish King or Queen, but it also allows
the commercial harvesters to participate
conveniently via photos of their electronic
trip tickets, while still being able to sell their
catch in whole condition (recreational harvesters must submit lionfish tails at designated
statewide checkpoint locations). In addition
to the recreational Lionfish King or Queen,
a Commercial Champion will be crowned on
Sept. 10 at the Lionfish Safari tournament in
St. Petersburg. All participants will receive
a qualification prize for their efforts, which
includes a commemorative coin, t-shirt, and
chance to take an extra spiny lobster per day
during the two-day mini-season. Participants
that harvest greater than 25 lionfish can qualify for additional tiered prizes.
Interested in participating? Harvesters must
register first (also a new feature of the program)
at MyFWC.com/Lionfish. This program runs
through Sept. 4, 2017. Missed this year’s chance
to participate? Check out our many other ways
to get involved on the website as well.
Brian Yablonski
Chairman, Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission
FWC continues exploring new and exciting lionfish removal incentive programs
45