At the break of dawn on July 19th, 56 ardent lionfish hunters set out to compete in the Third Annual Teeples Memorial Fort Lauderdale Lionfish Derby. The weather conditions were ideal, helping to make this derby one of the best yet. Vying for more than $3,500 in cash prizes, 14 participating teams brought in 557 lionfish to the 15th Street Fisheries dock during this sunrise to 5:00 pm event. This year’s catch broke the record for this tournament by a substantial 138 lionfish.
Join us for the second annual project to Curacao to document the establishment and consequences of invasive lionfish as part of REEF's ongoing effort to minimize the Indo-Pacific predator's impact on native fish populations. Participants will have an opportunity to be trained in lionfish collection and dissections of specimens to document prey. This unique research trip is led by REEF’s Director of Special Projects, Lad Akins and dive industry legend, Peter Hughes.
For the sixth year in a row, avid lionfish hunters on Green Turtle Cay set out at the crack of dawn on June 28th to participate in the world’s longest running lionfish derby. Conditions on the water could not have been better as the teams removed invasive lionfish from the Sea of Abaco on June 28th. Vying for more than $7,000 in cash prizes, 17 participating teams brought in 908 lionfish to the Green Turtle Club during the sunrise until 4:30 pm event. Numbers of lionfish caught and the sizes of fish landed were both down from last year.
In the summer of 2014, recreational divers in Florida and the Bahamas will once again assemble teams, scout out hundreds of sites, sharpen their spears, ready their nets, and hone their collecting skills to prepare for yet another REEF summer lionfish derby series. Their mission: remove lionfish. Their reward: more than $3,500 in cash prizes for bringing in lionfish and the knowledge that they are helping to save native fish populations.
Last week, representatives from the Florida House and Senate took the first steps in banning the importation or aquaculture of invasive lionfish. Representative Holly Raschein (R-Key Largo) and Senator Greg Evers (R- Pensacola) have filed HB 1069 and SB 1336 to address the devastation being caused by lionfish in Florida’s coastal waters. The bills will prohibit importation, aquaculture and sale of illegally imported lionfish and they authorized FWC to adopt a rule to that effect.
BARE Makes In-Kind Donation to REEF
REEF Trips Program and Communications Manager
On December 3rd and 5th, Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) and the Cayman Islands Department of the Environment (DOE) held free educator workshops on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac.
Thanks to the support of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF), Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) has announced that Adam Nardelli will be the 2014 Spring REEF Guy Harvey Intern. REEF chooses 12 individuals, out of hundreds of applicants, to intern at REEF. The goal is to give future marine scientists and leaders an in-depth look at marine conservation programs, and gain critical career skills.
Under sunny Florida skies, 27 teams of lionfish hunters took part in the Fourth Annual Key Largo Lionfish Derby on Saturday, September 14 at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Exceptional weather and growing awareness of the lionfish issue facilitated record catches of the invasive species.