State programs have removed nearly 10 thousand lionfish from Florida waters

Nearly 10 thousand lionfish have been removed from Florida waters since the state kicked off its statewide lionfish challenge and Panhandle pilot program.

Since the May 14th kickoff, 68 divers have entered the statewide Lionfish Challenge, which rewards divers for taking 50 or more lionfish.

Twenty-three of those qualified for the Panhandle Pilot Program, which rewards divers for every 100 lionfish removed 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 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, get the chance to catch some extra fish this year.

For every 100 lionfish harvested from this seven-county region between now and May 2017, the fisherman will be eligible to receive a tag allowing him to take either a legal-sized red grouper or a legal-sized cobia that is over the bag limit from state waters.

The state will issue 100 red grouper and 30 cobia tags in total to successful participants in the pilot program.

In addition, any person or group that harvests 500 or more lionfish during this one-year period will be given the opportunity to name an artificial reef.

Find out more on-line at myfwc.com

http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/lionfish/challenge/

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