509 LIONFISH DOWN. MILLIONS TO GO.
Divers caught 509 lionfish in Fort Lauderdale over the weekend, in a contest aimed at controlling the venomous, nonnative fish that have infested Florida’s coastal waters.
Twenty-four divers competed in the 2018 Fort Lauderdale Lionfish Derby, one of a series of events around the state
Like iguanas, Burmese pythons and feral hogs, lionfish have established a second home in Florida’s warm, sunny environment. Native to the Indian and Pacific oceans, they have consumed and out-competed
native fish, breeding so quickly that scientists say they would be virtually impossible to eradicate.
But lionfish derbies such as the one in Fort Lauderdale can control them in particular areas, if held often enough, scientists say.
“The removal effort has been helping locally,” said Alli Candelmo, invasive species coordinator for Reef Environmental Education Foundation, which organized the event. “But you really have to continue to remove them.”
The winning team, called “Pain Killer,” won the tournament, catching 206 lionfish. That team also won the prize for largest lionfish, a monster more than 16 inches long. The team Late Entry won the prize for the smallest one, catching a five-incher. The teams were competing for $4,500 in prizes.
Hosted by the restaurant 15th Street Fisheries, the event was sponsored by Whole Foods Market, which donated more than $50,000 for the events. This was the seventh derby held at 15th Street Fisheries. The last one resulted in a catch of 440 lionfish.
Since lionfish are edible, environmentalists have been trying to generate interest in them as a food fish. The ones caught over the weekend were used to make ceviche on the spot, taken as specimens for research or turned over for sale at Whole Foods.
“The event shows they can be a sustainable alternative to grouper and snapper,” Candelmo said. “That would take some pressure off our native fish.”
Lionfish derbies are scheduled Aug. 5 in Palm Beach, Aug. 12 in Jacksonville and Sept. 16 in Key Largo.
Lionfish, first reported off Dania Beach in 1985, are thought to have arrived in Florida waters as releases from home aquariums. The state banned the import of lionfish into Florida in 2014, but by then it was too late.