An introduced species to the Atlantic from the Indo-Pacific, lionfish have been a problem in the western North Atlantic (as well as the Mediterranean) for a few decades, and despite best efforts by divers, marine biologists, and so-called “invasive species” chefs, they continue to proliferate.
The first recorded sighting of a lionfish in Florida waters dates to 1985, and since then they’ve been seen throughout the entire Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and as far north as Rhode Island (in summer months). Two species are now present in these waters: the most common red lionfish (Pterois volitans) and the rarer devil firefish or common lionfish (Pterois miles). Apart from their venomous Mohawks, lionfish are viewed as being incredibly destructive outside of their normal habitat and population. At the risk of objectification, they are proverbial garbage bins and wreak particular havoc on juvenile and smaller species.
And so, since 2016, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) coined the call to action: “Be the predator,” and established the FWC Lionfish Challenge in 2016. The free, summer-long tournament runs between May and September, consists of both Recreational and Commercial categories, and requires partial lionfish tails to be turned in at checkpoints. The tails (and required bit of tissue attached) are used for scientific research and DNA sampling, while the meat is (hopefully) consumed—lionfish bear mild, white, flaky meat that can be nicely fileted and cooked just about any which way you like. (For culinary inspiration, consider the Reef Environmental Education Foundation’s (REEF) Lionfish Cookbook.)
Related: Shark Spotted Swimming Through Flooded Florida Streets in Wild Video (Watch)
There are also a handful of regional and any number of local tournaments to cull lionfish from the Sunshine State’s waters, with the largest purse being offered at Destin’s two-day-long Emerald Coast Open. But the numbers from the FWC’s statewide Lionfish Challenge are most staggering, especially when considered chronologically: 36,187 fish harvested in a single summer is quite a haul, but a final tally of just more than 30,000 in 2025 (with roughly the same number of participants) suggests the problem may be worsening still yet.
“The record-breaking success of the Lionfish Challenge demonstrates the powerful conservation impact of collective action,” FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said in a statement per a local CBS news outlet—and he’s right, for it certainly can’t hurt. While there’s no easy answer to such a burgeoning population of unwanted critters on land or under the sea, it’s not for lack of trying. Eco-warrior divers, subsistence-based spearos, and the scientific community alike—the latter is doing its best to train sharks to zero in on the spiny insurgents. Even robots have been employed, according to a 2022 New Yorker profile of an especially itinerant lionfish hunter.
The best conclusion seems to be FWC’s: Eat up, but by all means, dispatch the fish with the due dignity you’d grant all creatures.
Related: South Florida Swamped As Sunshine State Sees “Highest King Tide Ever”
Original Post from this site