Results of FWC's 2021 Lionfish Challenge

Photos courtesy of FWC: (left) 2021 Lionfish King Brooks Feeser, (top right, from left) FWC Executive Director Eric Sutton, FWC Commissioners Steven Hudson, Gary Nicklaus and Sonya Rood; Lionfish King Recreational Winner Brooks Feeser, FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto, Commercial Champion Rachel Bowman; and FWC Commissioners Robert Spottswood, Gary Lester, and Michael Sole, and (bottom right) First Place Commercial Champion Rachel Bowman.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)

The 2021 Lionfish Challenge winners were honored at the FWC October 6, 2921 Commission meeting held in St. Augustine, FL.

The Lionfish Challenge is a summer-long (May 21-Sept. 6, 2021) tournament that rewards divers for their lionfish harvests. The tournament is open to everyone, is completely free to enter and participants can compete from anywhere in the state. Divers receive prizes based on the amount of lionfish they harvest and compete for the title of the Lionfish King/Queen or Commercial Champion.

The lionfish removal and incentive program ended Sept. 6 (Labor Day). A total of 21,146 lionfish were removed during the 3.5-month program. In addition, 471 people registered and 185 people (172 recreational and 13 commercial) submitted lionfish, the highest participation number since the Challenge began in 2016.

WINNERS

Recreational Category
First place Lionfish King: Brooks Feeser, Palm Beach County, 1,632 removed.
Second place: Carl Antonik, Santa Rosa County, 1,582 removed.
Third place: Christina Raber-Jehn, Palm Beach County, 1,475 removed.

Commercial Category
First place Commercial Champion: Rachel Bowman, Monroe County, 730 pounds removed.
Second place: Paul DeCuir, Escambia County, 725 pounds removed.
Third place: Alex Fogg, Okaloosa County, 657 pounds removed.

First place winners received a customized trophy, $150 for SCUBA air fills, an HP 100 SCUBA cylinder, and will be featured in the 2021 Saltwater Regulations publication and in the FWC Lionfish Hall of Fame.

Support Florida lionfish control programs by purchasing a Rep Your Water lionfish hat at the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida: wildlifeflorida.com/product/lionfish-hat/?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=campaign.