The Invasion of the Lionfish

Lionfish are native to the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region. They were first observed on the Atlantic coast of south Florida in 1985. Since then, their population has rapidly expanded throughout the western Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean. To-date, the northern Gulf of Mexico has been the epicenter of the lionfish invasion and Destin-Fort Walton Beach has some of the highest densities of lionfish throughout their invaded region.

The Destin-Fort Walton Beach Coastal Resources Team works diligently to maintain programs that will reduce lionfish numbers in the Gulf of Mexico. Lionfish can cause drastic change to native wildlife populations, which is why it is important to decrease their impact. Contrary to pufferfish that are poisonous and need to be prepared by a professional, lionfish are venomous because of their spines. Once the spines are removed, lionfish are safe to handle and can be prepared any way you like! A lot of locals enjoy their lionfish battered, fried, and put into delicious tacos.

Fast facts:

• Lionfish prey on native fish species and have been shown to reduce native fish populations on some reefs by more than 90%.
• Lionfish eat more than 30 different species of fish in the Gulf of Mexico, will eat their own kind, and are capable of eating up to fish two-thirds their size.
• One female spawns around 27,000 eggs every 2.5 days. Larger females have been known to spawn more than 100,000.
• One lionfish can consume 20 fish in half an hour.
• In 2017, an ulcerative skin disease that only affects lionfish reduced the population by 80%. Although, the lionfish population continues to grow.

How you can help:

• Lionfish are rarely caught on a hook and line, so divers are the most effective method of capture.
• EAT MORE LIONFISH! Bring your caught lionfish to select restaurants and enjoy your catch prepared by an experienced, local chef. Fortunately, the
  lionfish is as delicious as it is invasive. Fried, broiled or grilled, there’s a number of ways to enjoy the unique taste of lionfish which will help protect the native environment.
• Participate in the Emerald Coast Open Lionfish Tournament. This two-day event continues to remove more than 14,000 lionfish.

Emerald Coast Open

The Emerald Coast Open (ECO) is the largest lionfish tournament in the world! In 2023, ECO had 148 participants and removed 24,699 lionfish throughout the tournament – 19,560 in 2 days! ECO gave away $55,000 in cash prizes, and over $75,000 in gear prizes. Since its inaugural year (2019), 72,591 lionfish have been removed as a result of this event.