FWC announces 2022 ‘Lionfish Challenge’

3 years ago

A marin biologist from Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre prepares to shoot a lionfish with a spear gun at the Table Top dive site off the coast of Cyprus' Cape Greko on January 15, 2018. After colonising parts of the Atlantic on the east coast of the United States and the Caribbean, lionfish are now invading the Mediterranean. The outbreak in the Mediterranean has scientists, fishermen and divers so worried that they have launched a campaign to reduce its numbers. / AFP PHOTO / Emily IRVING-SWIFT (Photo credit should read EMILY IRVING-SWIFT/AFP via Getty Images)

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced its 2022 “Lionfish Challenge” tournament on Thursday.

The tournament will take place May 20 through Sept. 6. It’s a summer-long competition open to those around the state.

The goal of the challenge is to remove as many invasive lionfish from Florida’s waters as possible in just 3.5 months.

Participants will compete in either the commercial or recreational division.

Prizes will be awarded in tiers as followed:

Tier 1 - Harvest 25 lionfish (recreational category) or 25 pounds of lionfish (commercial category)
Tier 2 – Harvest 100 lionfish (recreational) or 250 pounds of lionfish (commercial)
Tier 3 – Harvest 300 lionfish (recreational) or 500 pounds of lionfish (commercial)
Tier 4- Harvest 600 lionfish (recreational) or 1000 pounds of lionfish (commercial)

The challenge is in its seventh year and is sponsored this year by the Florida-based “FloGrown” apparel company, who designed and printed the shirts that will be awarded to those who reach the first prize tier.

Additional prizes will be provided by Divers Alert Network, YETI, GoPro and more.