Key Largo, Fla. – (April 27, 2026) – The Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) closed out its 17th annual Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Arts Festival with a record-breaking total of 2,480 invasive lionfish removed from South Florida reefs over two days of competition. The result is the highest single-derby total ever recorded in the Florida Keys, surpassing the previous Keys record of 1,898 fish set during the 2023 event by 582 fish, an increase of 31 percent. It is also a new all-time record across REEF’s full derby program. The 2026 Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Arts Festival was proudly supported by premier sponsors the Ocean Reef Conservation Association and the Monroe County Tourism Development Council.

Held April 23–26, 2026, in Key Largo, the event brought competitive divers and the broader community together to combat the invasive lionfish, a species with few natural predators in the Western Atlantic. Targeted removal events like REEF’s derby series remain one of the most effective tools available to suppress local lionfish populations and give native fish communities room to recover. The weekend concluded Sunday, April 26, with the public Conservation Science and Arts Festival at the REEF Ocean Exploration Center, where attendees enjoyed lionfish tastings, fillet and dissection demonstrations, live music, food trucks, local artists and vendors, and the official derby awards ceremony.

What set 2026 apart was not a single dominant team, but the depth of the entire Apex Predators field. Five teams each removed more than 300 fish — a milestone that historically has been reached by only one or two teams in a given derby. In 2018, two teams cleared 300; in most other years, only one did. Several Apex teams turned in the strongest performances of their derby careers, and several crews adjusted their strategies coming into this year, with combined rosters and dive teams of 4 contributing to the surge in removals. Captains also reported a notable share of larger fish. Length distributions from this year’s catch will be analyzed by REEF’s science team alongside data from prior events.

2026 Florida Keys Derby — Top Results

  • Total lionfish removed: 2,480 (Florida Keys record; REEF derby record)
  • Largest lionfish: Lionfish Eliminators — 420 mm (runners-up: Team Trash, 414 mm; Forever Old, 412 mm)
  • Smallest lionfish: Badfish Slayers — 49 mm
  • Smallest live lionfish: Tequilla Little Time — 84 mm
  • Most fish, Apex Predators division: Badfish Slayers — 659 fish (a new REEF derby team record, eclipsing Forever Young’s 648 in 2023)
  • Most fish, Reef Defenders division: The Hunters — 121 fish

Apex Predators Division — Final Standings

  • 1. Badfish Slayers — 659
  • 2. Aquamented — 395
  • 3. Lionfish Exterminator Corp — 392
  • 4. Team Trash — 361 (all-women’s team)
  • 5. Forever Old — 312
  • 6. Lionfish Eliminators — 143

Across REEF’s full derby program, more than 38,800 lionfish have now been removed from local waters since the events began — fish that would otherwise prey on native species and disrupt reef ecosystems.

“Removing 2,480 lionfish in a single derby is a milestone for the Florida Keys, but what really stands out about 2026 is the depth of the field — every team raised their game. This is what a mature, well-trained removal community looks like, and it’s the result of years of work by divers, captains, and conservation partners across the region. We are incredibly grateful to the Ocean Reef Conservation Association and the Monroe County Tourism Development Council, whose premier support makes this event and its conservation impact possible.”

– Alli Candelmo, Ph.D., Director of Conservation Science, Reef Environmental Education Foundation

Questions can be directed to lionfish@REEF.org or 305-852-0030.