KEY LARGO, FLA. – Last week, 14 teams of scuba divers took to the water and collected 1,527 invasive lionfish during the 2024 Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival, hosted by Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF). Teams fished from sunrise to sunset on Friday, Aug. 16 and Saturday, Aug. 17. On Saturday evening, derby participants and the public gathered at Florida Keys Brewing Company for Invaders on Tap, a lionfish awareness celebration and social with live music, educational activities and games, and lionfish tastings. The derby weekend concluded on Sunday, Aug.
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- INVASIVE
Eating invasive species has become a popular form of environmentalism in recent years. This article discusses REEF's work to address invasive lionfish and shares other invasive species currently on the menu around the world.
First sighted in Lebanon in 2012, invasive lionfish have since become well-established in the Mediterranean Sea. In an effort to provide policy recommendations for the lionfish invasion within the Mediterranean Sea, REEF joined in a global collaborative effort with researchers from Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, and the Caribbean to share successes and failures from two decades of lionfish management in the Western Atlantic.
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.
Although our 2018 Summer Lionfish Derby Series has come to a close, REEF is continuing invasive lionfish education and removal efforts through Collecting and Handling Workshops throughout southern Florida. The goal of the workshops is to educate the public about the invasive lionfish, as well as practice safe removal methods and provide participants with permits issued by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary for removal of lionfish in the Sanctuary Preservation Areas using hand nets only.
Pacific Northwest diver and REEF surveyor, Nick Brown, recently discovered the invasive tunicate, Ciona savignyi, during a dive in the San Juan Islands in Washington. This was the first record of the unwanted species in the San Juans. Nick learned about the invasive tunicate, and two other species that are monitored by REEF surveyors in the Pacific Northwest, during a recent REEF training seminar taught by Janna Nichols. Volunteer divers are serving an important role in the early detection and removal of invasive tunicates in the Pacific Northwest.
REEF Fishinars are fun, live, interactive webinars, open to anyone who wants to learn about ocean life. We hope you can join one of our upcoming sessions!
Unique Fish of the Cayman Islands: Join REEF’s Director of Science, Christy Semmens, on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 8pm Eastern to learn more about some of the unique and interesting fish that you can find while diving in the Cayman Islands.
We are excited to welcome a new member of the REEF staff! Alli Candelmo joined the team this week as the Invasive Species Program Coordinator. She comes to REEF with a wealth of experience in field biology, education, and conservation.
Alli attended Rutgers University where she obtained a Ph. D. in Ecology and Evolution.
This special Lionfish Research Trip is part of REEF’s ongoing effort to monitor the establishment and consequences of invasive lionfish on native fish populations and reef ecosystems. The trip includes a unique research itinerary aboard the Turks and Caicos Explorer II to visit remote areas of the Bahamas including Mayaguana, Plana Cays, Crooked Island, Salina Point, and Castle Island. |
KEY LARGO, FLA. – Fourteen teams of divers persevered through last weekend’s windy conditions to bring in 494 invasive lionfish during the 2021 Earth Day “Locals” Lionfish Derby. Teams were permitted to fish in Monroe County waters from sunrise to sunset on Saturday, April 24. More than $2,500 in cash and prizes was awarded to teams who brought in the most, largest, and smallest lionfish.