The 15th annual REEF Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival is quickly approaching! The event features two full days of lionfish hunting, plus a fun lionfish awareness night and an awards ceremony at the REEF Campus. You can check out all the details at www.REEF.org/derby. The weekend kicks off with a Captain's Meeting to discuss safe collecting and handling procedures and derby rules on Thursday, August 15. If you haven't yet signed up and want to participate in the derby, you can register a team of 2-4 people until 6:30pm on August 15. Registration is available online here.
Teams may hunt lionfish from sunrise to sunset on August 16 and 17, and the fun continues on Saturday evening. Join us at Florida Keys Brewing Company from 4-9pm on August 17 for Invaders on Tap, a lionfish awareness celebration. This free event includes live music, lionfish tastings, educational demos, games, trivia, and giveaways. $1 from each beer sold that night will be donated to REEF’s Invasive Species Program.
Come see who will be crowned 2024 Florida Keys Lionfish Derby champions! The weigh-in and awards ceremony will be at the REEF Campus in Key Largo from 10am-2pm on Sunday, August 18. All are invited to join us for lionfish scoring, educational demos, lionfish tastings, games, and more.
This event is made possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, including Ocean Reef Conservation Association and Florida Keys Brewing Company, with advertising support from the Monroe County Tourist Development Council. Thank you to all sponsors for your support of the REEF Invasive Species Program!