Florida Sets Lionfish Removal Record With 36K Catches in 2026

Florida set a new record in its 2026 Lionfish Challenge by removing a record 36,187 invasive lionfish, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). This impressive number of catches exceeded the 2025 total by more than 5,000. The annual competition, which ran from May 22 to Sept. 14, involved 533 registered participants who completed 1,468 dive trips.

The FWC organized the challenge to encourage recreational divers and commercial harvesters to remove lionfish from Florida waters. Participants earned prizes based on their catches and competed for titles across recreational, commercial, youth and veteran categories. One such category, Top Checkpoint, was won by Dive Pros, a Pensacola business, which accepted more than 5,000 lionfish tails during the season.

FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto highlighted the importance of the removals in reducing pressure on native marine species, protecting biodiversity, and preserving the health of marine ecosystems. The lionfish, recognizable by its reddish-brown and white vertical stripes and venomous spines, is native to the Indo-Pacific region but has spread throughout the western Atlantic, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Its rapid reproduction and diverse diet threaten native marine life, making the challenge crucial in mitigating the species' impact.