May 23, 2017
By Florida Sportsman Editor
Recreational and commercial lionfish hunters are invited to get rewarded for their lionfish removal efforts by participating in FWC's revamped Lionfish Challenge.
The program starts Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day (May 20) and will end on Labor Day (Sept. 4). New this year, lionfish hunters can participate in either a recreational or commercial category (all participants who have an active Saltwater Products License and who have commercial lionfish sales within the past year must participate in the commercial category).
Rewards for recreational and commercial participants include:
A commemorative coin to mark membership.
An event T-shirt.
Lionfish Hall of Fame recognition on the MyFWC.com website.
If qualified before July 26, the opportunity to take an additional spiny lobster per day during the 2017 sport season (July 26-27).
Participants may also qualify for additional prizes such as a reusable lionfish sting heat pack, customized neck gaiter, customized tumbler, and pole spear with grip kit.
The recreational and commercial harvesters who check in the most lionfish will be crowned Florida's Lionfish King or Queen and Florida's Commercial Champion and both will be recognized at the 2017 Lionfish Safari Sept. 10 in St. Petersburg.
To enter the program, participants must register online at MyFWC.com/Lionfish. Registration opens May 8.
After registration, participants may email photos of their first 25 qualifying lionfish (or trip tickets totaling at least 25 pounds sold for commercial harvesters) to Lionfish@MyFWC.com. Be sure to include the name of the harvester, the date harvested and your signature in the photo (written on a piece of paper next to the fish for example). Participants in the recreational category must bring the tails of any lionfish harvested in excess of the initial 25 to an FWC-approved checkpoint (list will be available May 20 on MyFWC.com/Lionfish by clicking on “Lionfish Challenge”).
