“This event has brought a lot of awareness to the invasive lionfish species and created a festive atmosphere for the enjoyment of our visitors and residents, while fostering prosperity for our local businesses,” Okaloosa County Commission Chairman Paul Mixon said today in a news release. “I enjoy seeing the success and the legacy of this event as it continues year to year.”
Divers from across the country participated in the event, that included a pretournament where divers harvested a total of 7,180 lionfish. The main tournament held last Thursday and Friday yielded 13,322 lionfish captured by divers.
Lionfish were measured and weighed behind AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar, with the nearby Lionfish Festival hosted by HarborWalk Village.
Divers competed for nearly $175,000 in cash and gear prizes provided by event partners. Categories included smallest lionfish, largest lionfish and most lionfish caught. Local restaurants also competed for best lionfish cuisine during Restaurant Week, leading up to the main tournament.
Winners include:
- Most Lionfish: Deep Water Mafia 1 (DWM), (2,038)
- Smallest Lionfish: Team Lookin’ Back, (73 millimeters-2.8 inches)
- Largest Lionfish: Team In the Clouds, (438 millimeters -17.2 inches)
- Restaurant Week Winner: Laz Paz (third year in a row)
Since 2019, the annual lionfish tournament has removed a total of more than over 100,000 lionfish from the Gulf.
“While this event continues to flourish, the opposite is happening for this invasive species,” county Natural Resources Chief Alex Fogg said. “The public is beginning to realize the impact of the lionfish on our ecosystem and because of the divers and our amazing partners, we are able to make a difference for our environment in Gulf waters.”
Lionfish are an invasive species with few known predators in the Gulf. Due to their leisurely nature, hook-and-line fishing is not as effective as a diver armed with spears.
Learn more about the tournament at https://emeraldcoastopen.com/.
