| LIONFISH FISHING DERBY - June 30, 2012 |
On Saturday, June 30, 2012, 15th Street Fisheries restaurant and Lauderdale Marina will host a fishing derby established to assist in eradicating lionfish from the reefs of South Florida. The lionfish is a predatory non-indigenous aquatic species which is doing damage to the underwater ecosystem. The derby will raise public awareness about this problem and help raise funds for Reef.org, a non-profit organization set up to provide information and education about oceanographic sciences.
The Lionfish Derby is a one-day team competition set up with the goal of collecting as many lionfish as possible during daylight hours. Participating teams will collect lionfish throughout the day using a variety of capture methods while either SCUBA diving, free diving, or snorkeling off the coast of Fort Lauderdale. Prizes will be awarded to the teams with the highest quantity, largest, and smallest lionfish caught. $3,550 in prizes will be awarded, plus all winners will receive a $50 gift certificate from Divers Direct. A "Captains Meeting" will be held on Friday, June 29th for registration pickups and orientation.
Lionfish are a non-native species in this region with no controlling predators and large appetites for native fish and crustaceans. Removing lionfish from the reefs helps minimize impacts to the delicate ecosystems found in our coastal waters.
Derbies are important venues for education and outreach about invasive species, training, research and awareness. Teams and spectators learn how to properly collect and handle venomous lionfish and discover why they are detrimental to the ocean's ecosystem. Derbies also draw media attention to the Atlantic lionfish invasion and help promote development of the commercial lionfish market. The event, organized by Clark Drum, Broward County Coordinator of the Lionfish Eradication Center, will be educational and fun.
Specimens collected during the derby support ongoing lionfish research and are provided to a number of government and university research partners.
Participants will also taste a delicious lionfish recipe prepared by Lenny Judice, Executive Chef at 15th Street Fisheries, a landmark restaurant located within Lauderdale Marina on the Intracoastal Waterway near the 17th Street Causeway bridge and Port Everglades inlet to the Atlantic Ocean. The restaurant is in its 34th year of continuous operation and was recently voted "Best Waterfront Restaurant in South Florida" in a Sun-Sentinel readers poll. |
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