'Harvest lionfish, win prizes:' Florida's Lionfish Challenge is on for amateurs and pros
Florida's plan to rid the state of the invasive fish decimating native fish populations is to give cash and gift prizes to those who catch the most.
Invasive lionfish devours Florida's native reef fish
File: FOX News' Phil Keating took a dive in Florida to meet the invasive lionfish up close and personal in Florida. He spoke to a researcher and professional divers who said the spiky fish are taking out the native fish.
"Here fishy, fishy," Florida commercial and recreational fishermen and divers will soon say because the Lionfish Challenge starts June 1.
"The rules are simple: Harvest lionfish, win prizes," the registration page says on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website.
Registration is free and open to recreational and commercial divers of all ages. The divers catch and harvest as many lionfish as possible between June 1 and October 1.
You may ask why hunt the exotic foreigner that many prize in their home aquariums. Unfortunately, they eat everything, are voracious and have no predators in the U.S.
TOXIC CANE TOADS SUCCESSFULLY INVADED AND ARE KILLING PETS AND WILDLIFE ACROSS FLORIDA
Lionfish eat whole fish as big as two-thirds their own length.
(FOX Weather)
Researchers from Oregon State found that one lionfish living on a coral reef reduced the native fish population by 79% in five weeks. Another lionfish ate 20 fish in just 30 minutes.
The beautiful fish also overeat. A researcher studying lionfish in the Gulf of Mexico found that their stomachs can expand 30 times to make room for more food. A fish can eat 7.5 times their daily requirement of food.
The result of the invasive species colonizing is devastating from an ecological point of view and threatens commercial fishing.
FLORIDA'S MARINE LIFE DEPENDS ON KILLING INVASIVE FISH
Rules of the 8th annual challenge
Recreational contestants must bring bagged tails to local checkpoints to be counted, and they better be fresh.
"Please do not bring any smelly fish to your checkpoint," state the rules. "Checkpoints have the right to deny any rotten or otherwise uncountable tails!"
Commercial divers are rewarded per pound. They sell the fish to licensed wholesale dealers for credit.
MISSOURI MAN CREDITS COW WITH HELPING HIM ACCOMPLISH DECADE-LONG FISHING GOAL
File: A commercial diver.
(EMILY IRVING-SWIFT/AFP / Getty Images)
Even if contestants aren't in the running for grand prizes, they can still win. The FWC and sponsor Zookeeper award prizes nine times throughout the summer. The catches count toward the grand prize.
As few as 25 lionfish or 50 pounds will win you a tier 1 prize of one extra spiny lobster each day during the Sport Season, plus entry in a raffle. Previous grand prizes include a trophy, SCUBA air cylinders and free air refills. The "Commercial Champion and Lionfish King/Queen" also get entry into the Lionfish Challenge Hall of Fame.
Last year's recreational winner caught 1,018 lionfish, while the commercial champ caught 1,092 pounds. The challenge haul was 25,299 fish, second only to the record year in 2018.
SEE MASSIVE WORLD-RECORD FISH CAUGHT BY NORTH CAROLINA ANGLER
Photos of past winners.
(FWC / FOX Weather)
Why are there commercial divers?
To help reduce lionfish numbers, a number of organizations have encouraged the hunting and consumption of lionfish.
NOAA compares the taste and texture to a snapper, and some restaurants serve the delicacy.
"If you can't beat ‘em, eat ’em," FOX News' Phil Keating said of the theory.
SAVING THE PLANET BY EATING ONE VENOMOUS LIONFISH AT A TIME
A bowl of lionfish ceviche.
(Peter Andrew Bosch / Miami Herald / Tribune News Service / Getty Images)
Beautiful but dangerous
Fishermen don't use poles on lionfish and instead dive. NOAA recommends collecting fish with clear vinyl nets with mesh bottoms or fish spears with paralyzer tips to catch the animal with 18 venomous spines.
WORLD'S LARGEST FRESHWATER FISH CAUGHT IN CAMBODIA
Florida lionfish hunt underway
The annual hunt for lionfish off the coast of Florida is underway (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
"Minimize the risk of stings by using puncture-proof gloves," the NOAA advice continued. The spines still sting after the fish dies.
If stung, most people just feel pain. But one 24-year-old man was paralyzed within 8 hours of the contact, according to a NOAA study.
How did they get to the US?
Lionfish originated from the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific and Indian Oceans but have gradually made their way into the Western Hemisphere.
The invasive species was first reported along Florida coasts in 1985, according to the USGS. By the early 2000s, they had invaded.
SEE THE INVASIVE, AUSTRALIAN CRAWFISH DISCOVERED IN TEXAS
The maps show the small distribution of lionfish in 1995 compared to 2015.
(USGS / FOX Weather)
The USGS says that the colorful, zebra-like striped fish most likely made its way to Florida waters from accidental or intentional releases from aquariums.
"Researchers say 10 years ago, during Hurricane Andrew, several fish were accidentally released from aquariums," reported FOX News' Orlando Salinas.
That 2002 report also said that the fish that can grow larger than a foot long become too dangerous to deal with, and people "set them free" in the ocean.
USGS genetic research suggests more than one introduction point.
Invasive deja vu?
PYTHON HUNTER WINS $10,000 AFTER TOP CAPTURE IN FLORIDA EVERGLADES CHALLENGE
If you have invasive species challenge deja vu, you are not mistaken. The state also sponsors the Python Challenge, where anyone who signs up can win cash for killing and turning in the most and the largest Burmese Pythons. Pythons have devoured mammals across the Everglades. The raccoon population alone is down 99.3% since 1997, according to the USGS.
Last year's top winner took home $10,000 for 28 pythons.