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Thanks for your interest in 2019 Rock the Marina & Lionfish Derby, organized by Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency!
About the Derby: Sip a cocktail while enjoying “feel good reggae” music from South Florida’s most popular band, Spred the Dub, learn how to prep and cook lionfish, enjoy complimentary lionfish tastings, and learn about marine conservation and sustainability efforts that are taking place throughout the county.
Many hands and minds make easy work when building lionfish traps! Over the past six months, REEF staff and interns have dived into the NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy funded Deepwater Lionfish Trap Project, with partners including Tom Matthews, Emily Hutchinson and Sam Hagedorn (FWC), Steve Gittings (NOAA Marine Sanctuaries), Alex Fogg (Coast Watch Alliance), Holden Harris (University of Florida), Rachel Bowman, Peter Angelotti, ReefSave and Lionfish University.
As many of you are aware, the recent invasion of Indo-Pacific lionfish into Atlantic waters has been causing great concern among researchers, marine park and fisheries managers, and divers. REEF, in partnership with Bahamian dive operators Stuart Cove and Bruce Purdy, NOAA, the USGS, the National Aquarium in Washington DC, the Bahamian Government and university groups, has spearheaded the field research for this rapidly expanding problem.
The 2021 REEF Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival will take place on September 9-12. This 12th annual event is sponsored by Ocean Reef Conservation Association (ORCA), a non-profit dedicated to protecting and preserving the environment, fish, wildlife, and marine related areas including water quality and habitat. Since 2009, ORCA has supported the efforts of several non-profits including Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, The Everglades Foundation, Audubon of Florida, Coral Restoration Foundation, Coastal Conservation Association and more. Education is an important part of ORCA's mission.
Despite a summer with very little Lionfish Derby action, our Invasive Species Program has been keeping busy with plenty of projects, including several grants that we have recently been awarded to support our ongoing lionfish work. First, we're excited to share that REEF has been awarded $299,087 through NOAA's Saltonstall-Kennedy Competitive Grants Program, to study the effectiveness of lionfish traps on deep reefs in the Florida Keys.
The REEF Conservation Challenge is a way to earn stickers while participating in REEF programs. This month, in honor of the 13th annual Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival, we're highlighting the Invasive Species Challenge. There are several ways to complete this challenge and earn the accompanying sticker, and one way is to participate in a REEF Lionfish Derby. If you're in the Florida Keys or South Florida, check out the Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival this weekend in Islamorada.
The authors of this study examined drivers of public involvement and success at invasive removal in tournaments (derbies) to catch Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) in the Western Atlantic. Information on 69 lionfish derbies held in the wider Caribbean region from 2010 to 2015 was compiled, including REEF Lionfish Derbies. The authors found that the number of lionfish caught increased with effort and with time since lionfish were established in an area.
We are now accepting registrations for our Invasive Lionfish Trip aboard the Belize Aggressor III on June 8-15, 2019. This trip will be led by Invasive Species Program Coordinator, Alli Candelmo, Ph.D., and Education Program Manager, Ellie Splain. This Invasive Lionfish Trip is part of REEF’s ongoing effort to monitor the establishment and consequences of invasive lionfish on native fish populations and reef ecosystems.