This article highlights the effectiveness of lionfish derbies in the Florida Keys, including the recent Earth Day Lionfish Derby where winning team Forever Young swept all three prize categories - most lionfish, largest, and smallest.

KEY LARGO, FLA. – Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) is excited to announce the 16th Annual Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Arts Festival, scheduled for April 24-27, 2025. This event uniquely combines invasive lionfish removal with vibrant local arts and conservation efforts, aiming to engage the community in ocean conservation through interactive and educational activities.

Event Schedule

Although we are just one month into the year, our 2019 Field Survey Trips are filling up fast! Because of the great response, we have decided to add two new trips to the 2019 schedule: an invasive lionfish-focused liveaboard trip to Belize this June, and a fish survey liveaboard trip in December, to the Turks and Caicos Islands. 

Reef Environmental Education Foundation is excited to announce an opportunity to partner with classroom teachers for the 2023-2024 school year. Thanks to the Coastal Partnership Initiative (CPI) grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, we can offer your class FREE REEF Virtual Field Trips, Colorful Fish Identification Cards for your students, and marine life curriculum for you to use as a classroom resource.

 Third Annual Palm Beach County Lionfish Derby set for August 17

Teams will compete for over $3,500 for removing the invasive species

By Keri Kenning, REEF Communications Manager

REEF Director of Special Projects, Lad Akins, has co-authored several recent scientific publications on the invasive lionfish in the western Atlantic, including:

Mark your calendars for the 15th annual Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival on August 15-18! A Lionfish Derby is a competition where teams of divers and snorkelers compete to collect as many invasive lionfish as possible. REEF Lionfish Derbies educate the public about invasive species, gather important scientific information on lionfish populations, and promote a consumer market for lionfish.

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