Mark your calendars: 10th Annual Lionfish Festival May 17–18 in Destin

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission sent this bulletin at 04/19/2024 09:35 AM EDT

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

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April 19, 2024

Suggested Post: The 10^th annual #Lionfish Festival is May 20-21 in Destin: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/bulletins/3977777 #Florida #fishing

two divers in boat holding lionfish

Mark your calendars: 10^th Annual Lionfish Festival May 17–18 in Destin

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Destin–Fort Walton Beach invite everyone to celebrate the 10th annual Lionfish Festival May 17–18 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. CT at AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar and HarborWalk Village in Destin.

This two-day outdoor festival is free, open to the public and will include conservation and art booths, live music, an interactive kid’s zone and the world’s largest lionfish tournament, the Emerald Coast Open.

Tournament Details

Are you interested in competing with the best lionfish hunters in the world in the Emerald Coast Open? The tournament will run May 17–18, and include categories for most lionfish, largest lionfish and smallest lionfish with nearly $100,000 worth of prizes up for grabs! For official tournament rules and registration instructions, visit EmeraldCoastOpen.com.

Lionfish Restaurant Week

Sample lionfish at one of Destin–Fort Walton Beach’s featured restaurants during the Emerald Coast Open Lionfish Restaurant Week. Local chefs will highlight lionfish in unique dishes in the week leading up to the event to help bring awareness to the lionfish invasion in the Gulf of Mexico.

Schedule:

May 10 – The Boathouse Landing - Valparaiso Harbor

May 11 – La Paz Restaurante & Cantina

May 12 – Crab Trap Destin

May 13 – Jasmine Thai

May 14 – Beach Walk Cafe

May 15 – Harbor Docks

May 16 – The Harbor Tavern

May 18 – AJ’s Seafood & Oyster Bar

What is LRAD?

To increase public awareness about the lionfish invasion and encourage removal efforts, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) signed a resolution creating Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day in February 2015. Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day is a statewide day celebrated the first Saturday after Mother’s Day each year.

Lionfish Challenge

The 2024 Lionfish Challenge is approaching quickly. This summer-long tournament is open to everyone and is completely free to enter. Participants in the Lionfish Challenge have removed over 1 million lionfish from Florida waters since the program began in 2014! Are you up for the Challenge? Visit FWCReefRangers.com to register for the Lionfish Challenge. The Challenge begins May 24.

Questions?