Lionfish Challenge 2018 Update

Blake Russell of Shalimar won $500 and Engel Cooler on June 8, and Joe Livingston of Destin won $500 on June 21.

Recent winners in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Lionfish Challenge 2018 includes participants from Destin and Shalimar.

Blake Russell of Shalimar won $500 and Engel Cooler on June 8, and Joe Livingston of Destin won $500 on June 21.

Numbers update

As of this week:

525 people have registered.
51 people have submitted lionfish.
6,596 total lionfish removed.
47 tagged-lionfish removed (five in the Atlantic and 42 in the Gulf).
53 checkpoints for recreational participant submissions.

Recent Winners

June 8, Okaloosa County: Blake Russell of Shalimar, $500 and Engel Cooler.
June 9, Pinellas County: Michael DeRemer of Largo, GoPro Hero5 Camera.
June 18, Franklin County: Grayson Shepard of Apalachicola, $1,000.
June 18, Duval County: Russell Peters of Neptune Beach, $500.
June 21, Okaloosa County: Joe Livingston of Destin, $500.
June 30, Bay County: Kimberly Higdon of Tennessee, Engel Cooler.
June 30, Bay County: Brian Higdon of Tennessee, Engel Cooler.

Upcoming Raffle Drawings

July 11 and 25.
All qualified participants (submission of 25 lionfish or 25 pounds for commercial) will be entered into drawing. Prizes include 4-foot JBL pole spear, Dive Rite surface marker tube, Lionator pole spear prize pack, Enriched Air Diver Class from Narked Scuba, and Color-Dive Lenses from Customatic Optics.

Background

The Lionfish Challenge rewards lionfish harvesters with prizes for their lionfish removals, tagged or not. The tagged lionfish component is new this year and includes cash prizes up to $5,000. Lionfish were tagged at 50 public artificial reefs across the state between the depths of 80-120 feet.

REMINDER: There’s still time to submit your qualifying 25 lionfish and receive a commemorative coin that allows you to take one extra spiny lobster per day during the two-day mini-season July 25-26.