Registration for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) 2018 Lionfish Challenge is open. Register at MyFWC.com/Lionfish.
This year’s Challenge begins on Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day, May 19, and will run through Sept. 3.
The event kickoff will take place at the Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day Festival and the Lionfish World Championship Tournament, May 19 and 20, at the Flora-Bama Yacht Club and Ole River Grill on the Florida/Alabama coastal border. The event will also include a benefit concert by Little Texas at 5 p.m. Sunday, May 20, presented by Coast Watch Alliance and Lionfish University.
This year’s Challenge will include a new tagged-lionfish component. Catch an FWC-tagged lionfish and win up to $5,000.
Non-cash prizes, such as GoPro cameras, tumblers by Engel Coolers, puncture-resistant gloves by TurtleSkin, customized towels and more, will also be awarded to participants who remove and submit lionfish, tagged or not.
The participants who remove the most lionfish in the recreational and commercial categories will be crowned the 2018 Recreational Lionfish King/Queen and the Commercial Champion.
The goal of these programs is to encourage and track removals of nonnative invasive lionfish.
To learn more, visit MyFWC.com/Lionfish or contact the FWC Division of Marine Fisheries Management at Lionfish@MyFWC.com or 850-487-0554.
