[dropcap]B[/dropcap]eautiful weather, a new venue and a new date netted a record take for the MCAC Reef Fund’s 5th Annual Lionfish Round-Up.
“The new location was Jupiter Pointe Marina, we had a record 57 divers, up from 34 in 2014, and their combined efforts removed 579 lionfish from our local waters,” said Kathy FitzPatrick, Martin County’s Coastal Engineer. “Diver’s had clear conditions and we were able to extend our diving window by two hours, giving more opportunity to bring home more fish. This may be an indicator that the local lionfish population is increasing. It definitely indicates our local divers’ commitment to controlling this problem is strong.”
Team Guanabanas brought in 134 lionfish to take home the award for Most Lionfish by a Team. Most Lionfish by an Individual honors went to Todd Schoppe with 52 fish. The Largest Lionfish award went to team Team Moongoose with a 17.5-inch giant and the smallest lionfish, 4.25-inches, was captured by Gabriel Arrington.
Proceeds of the tournament are earmarked for future artificial reefs in Martin County. The Lionfish Round-Up event began as a component to the MCAC Reef Builder’s Tournament, which will take place on July 11th at the Twisted Tuna in Port Salerno.
“In 2014, the overall success of both tournaments was obvious and it was time for the Lionfish Round-Up to stand on its own. Since a large number of the divers were already based out of Jupiter, the south county location made sense on paper. Obviously what looked good on paper, was pretty good in real time too. We are embracing our new time frame and location for 2015”, says FitzPatrick.
For more information on lionfish visit MCLionfish.com.
There is still time to sign up for the 9th Annual Reef Builder’s Fishing Tournament on July 11th. Registration information is available at www.MCACReefs.org.
