Winning Team Nets $1,700 in Middle Keys Lionfish Tournament

Oct. 26, 2010

Weather and a postponement contributed to a low turnout for the Middle Keys lionfish tournament, but one lucky team took home $1,700.

The October 23 tournament in Marathon, organized by the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, was the second of three Keys-based lionfish roundups aimed at reducing the population of the invasive Indo-Pacific red lionfish in sanctuary waters. The five participating teams captured 21 lionfish during the one-day event out of Marathon, bringing the total number of lionfish captured during the tournaments thus far to 555.

The winning team, “Team Frapper,” hailing from Vero Beach, Fl., brought in 12 lionfish and also caught the largest fish, which measured slightly more than 7.5 inches. The smallest fish of the day, measuring almost 4.5 inches, was captured by the “Lion Hunters.” The Lion Hunters, who traveled to the tournament from Melbourne, Fl., swept the ‘smallest’ fish category and brought in the second largest number of lionfish, netting them $1300 in cash and prizes. A local team, “Marathon Boatyard” led by Joe Bauman, took third place and received a $250 gift certificate to Divers Direct.

This series of derbies is just one example of how the sanctuary and partners have been working closely with the Florida Keys dive community to document and safely remove lionfish from Keys waters.

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The third and final 2010 Keys lionfish tournament will be held November 13 at Hurricane Hole Marina, in Key West. Divers and snorkelers interested in participating may register online at www.reef.org. A $100 registration fee provides each team with a pair of puncture resistant gloves — important protection from lionfish spines — and two tickets to the tournament banquet.

Growing populations of lionfish off the southeast U.S. and Caribbean are impacting native reef fish communities and could hamper stock rebuilding efforts. Lionfish have no known predators and consume commercially and ecologically important fish species.

For complete results and derby information go to http://www.REEF.org/lionfish.