The Sea of Abaco is warming up and that means it’s almost time for the Central Abaco Lionfish Derby! Friends of the Environment is calling all fishermen to participate in our annual effort to reduce the local lionfish population.
Why is an environmental organization making a special effort to reduce a fish population, you might ask? Well, this is certainly a special case! In The Bahamas, and the rest of the Atlantic, lionfish are classed as an alien invasive species. This means that they do not originate from these waters and they are harmful to the ecosystems to which they have been introduced. Lionfish show classic characteristics of invasive species – they reproduce abundantly and often, grow quickly, eat a lot, and compete with native species for habitat and other resources.
Research done in Abaco has shown that native fish do not recognize lionfish as predators, which makes them more susceptible to being eaten! In addition, native predatory fish such as groupers and sharks do not often recognize lionfish as prey. Some attempts to feed already “speared” lionfish to sharks have been successful, and there was one published incidence of a grouper found with a lionfish in its stomach, but to our knowledge juvenile and adult lionfish are not being frequently preyed upon by anything in our waters.
This absence of natural control means that lionfish are left to their own devices to continue reproducing, so it is up to us to help by catching as many lionfish as we can!
FRIENDS started the Central Abaco Lionfish Derby in 2010 to support The Bahamas’ National Lionfish Response Plan and further our goals for marine conservation and education in Abaco. In the past three years a total of 4,309 lionfish have been caught. This is a great effort – and we challenge you to raise that number!
The Central Abaco Lionfish Derby event will begin with a Captain’s meeting and presentation at The Marsh Harbour Marina’s Jib Room restaurant. The derby itself will begin at sunrise on Saturday June 15th and end at 4 p.m., when all fish must be delivered to Marsh Harbour Exporters and Importers (The Fish House) for counting. This will be followed by an awards ceremony and lionfish tasting at The Jib Room that evening. Prizes will be awarded to the teams which catch the most fish. Will it be you?
Most Lionfish: 1st place- $1,500, 2nd place- $1,000, 3rd place – $500 as well as prizes for the largest and smallest lionfish. Plus, for boats falling in 4th place and below, $1 will be awarded per lionfish up to 100 fish. The derby is sponsored by Marsh Harbour Exporters and Importers, The Bahamas Marine Exporters Association and Tropic Seafoods. There is no fee for entering the derby. Teams may include up to four people.
For registration information and rules please visit www.friendsoftheenvironment.org.