Over
100 thousand invasive lionfish have been removed from Florida waters
since the state kicked off its Panhandle pilot program last May and
there is still time for new fishermen to get involved.
The
Panhandle Pilot Program rewards divers for every 100 lionfish they
remove from Escambia through Franklin counties, where lionfish
densities tend to be higher.
Lionfish
are a nonnative, invasive species that threaten Florida’s native
saltwater fish and wildlife.
They
were introduced into Florida waters in the late 1980s but their
population has boomed in recent years – and that is causing real
problems for native species in Florida waters.
Fishermen
who take part in the Panhandle Pilot Program and help remove lionfish
from the waters off Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf
and Franklin counties, become
eligible to receive a tag allowing them to take either one
legal-sized red grouper or a legal-sized cobia that is over the bag
limit from state waters.
In
addition, any person or group that harvests 500 or more lionfish
dbefore the end of May will be given the opportunity to name an
artificial reef.
Find
out more about the program on-line at myfwc.com
http://live.oysterradio.com/
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