CALENDAR
ANNOUNCEMENT
FLORIDA COASTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM’S COASTAL PARTNERSHIP
INITIATIVE GRANT FUNDS 7TH ANNUAL UPPER KEYS LIONFISH DERBY
~ Help eradicate lionfish in the Upper Keys ~
Removing lionfish from Florida's waters allows native marine species to recover.
WHAT:
Lionfish Derby
WHEN: Saturday,
Sept. 10, 2016
Teams may collect lionfish from sunrise to 5 p.m.
Award ceremonies, raffles and tastings will take place from
5 – 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: John
Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
102601 Overseas Highway (MM 102.5)
Key Largo, FL 33037
HOW: Registration
for teams of two to four people is $120. Register here.
Lionfish are an invasive
species in Florida that can have a negative impact on native species and
habitat. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) encourages the removal of lionfish from Florida waters to help limit negative impacts to
native marine life and ecosystems. Through focused, regular removal efforts,
lionfish populations can be reduced and the native marine populations can recover.
A lionfish derby is a
single-day competition to collect and remove as many lionfish as possible. The
Upper Keys Lionfish Derby, which is organized and hosted by Reef Environmental
Education Foundation, will be held at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State
Park in partnership with FWC, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and
DEP. Teams may collect lionfish by netting or spearing, while SCUBA diving, free
diving or snorkeling. Teams may begin competing at sunrise and are required to
bring their catch to the scoring station by 5 p.m. Each fish is measured, and
prizes are awarded for teams catching the most, the largest and the smallest lionfish.
The public is invited to watch scoring, taste free lionfish samples, watch
filleting and dissection demonstrations and ask questions about lionfish. All
lionfish landed will be available for researchers who may wish to take samples
or whole specimens to aid in their studies. The Florida Coastal Management
Program’s Coastal Partnership Initiative grant funds will help to support
monthly lionfish collecting and handling workshops, collection dives and the 7th
Annual Lionfish Derby.
To learn more about the
derby, click here.
For more information about
lionfish, click here.
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