Drew DixonThis year’s Florida Fresh Water Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Lionfish Challenge drew a record number of participants to the tournament.
The event is designed to get anglers fired up to catch the fish, which is an invasive species in Florida waters and can cause damage to aquatic habitats. The challenge was held throughout the summer and concluded on Sept. 2 and there were 285 dedicated divers who harvested the lionfish. The divers embarked on more than a combined 700 trips in waters statewide. The result was the removal and harvest of 31,773 lionfish from combined from Florida waters.
All those numbers are records compared to the nine previous Lionfish Challenge events that have been held in Florida. The event started in 2016.
“We’re grateful for the Lionfish Challenge participants who worked hard to shatter the previous year’s record in removing these invasive species,” said FWC Commission Chairman Rodney Barreto. “Congratulations to our 2024 Lionfish King and Commercial Champion. Your exceptional efforts are helping defend our precious marine ecosystems.”
There was recognition for the top participants in different categories of lionfish harvests.
In the recreation division, the top three anglers included:
— First Place: Baye Beaford of Duval County with 915 lionfish.
— Second Place: Dale Wolber of Duval County with 866 lionfish.
— Third Place: Tim Robinson of Broward County with 726 lionfish.
In the commercial division, the top three winners included:
— First Place: Matt Myers of Duval County with 1,785 pounds of lionfish.
— Second Place: Jerry Butler of Duval County with1,426 pounds of lionfish.
— Third Place: Isidoro Bedoya of Duval County with 845 pounds of lionfish.
“The Lionfish Challenge raises awareness of this invasive species and serves as a great way to get people outdoors and involved in conservation by removing invasive lionfish,” said FWC Executive Director Roger Young. “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the 2024 participants for their collective effort in removing over 31,000 invasive lionfish from Florida’s waters. Your dedication is truly commendable.”
