At its October meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced the winners of this year’s Lionfish Challenge.
The Lionfish Challenge is a summer-long (May 21-Sept. 6, 2021) tournament that rewards divers for their lionfish harvests. The tournament is open to everyone, is completely free to enter and participants can compete from anywhere in the state. Divers receive prizes based on the amount of lionfish they harvest and compete for the title of the Lionfish King/Queen or Commercial Champion.
Since 2016, this incentive program has encouraged divers to help reduce numbers of invasive lionfish that are detrimental to the native ecosystems of Florida reefs.
This year’s lionfish removal and incentive program ended Sept. 6, and a total of 21,146 lionfish were removed during the 3.5-month program. This year, 471 people registered and 185 people submitted lionfish. It’s the highest participation number since the Lionfish Challenge began in 2016.
Winners
- Recreational Category:
- First place Lionfish King: Brooks Feeser, Palm Beach County, 1,632 removed.
- Second place: Carl Antonik, Santa Rosa County, 1,582 removed.
- Third place: Christina Raber-Jehn, Palm Beach County, 1,475 removed.
Commercial Category:
- Commercial Champion: Rachel Bowman, Monroe County, 730 pounds removed.
- Second place: Paul DeCuir, Escambia County, 725 pounds removed.
- Third place: Alex Fogg, Okaloosa County, 657 pounds removed.
First place winners received a customized trophy, $150 for SCUBA air fills, an HP 100 SCUBA cylinder, and will be featured in the 2021 Saltwater Regulations publication and in the FWC Lionfish Hall of Fame.
Final Stats
- 21,146 lionfish removed.
- 185 people submitted lionfish (172 recreational, 13 commercial).
For more information, go to FWCReefRangers.com or MyFWC.com/Lionfish.