Send Florida FWS Your Lionfish Harvest Photos; They’ll Send You a T-shirt
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wants you to become a member of the “Lionfish Control Team” during the month of April.
All you have to do is take a photo of yourself with your lionfish catch and post the photo on Twitter or Instagram with #FWCLionfish. The contest was announced Thursday on Twitter, during a live chat.
In return for your efforts, the FWC will send you an official “Lionfish Control Team” T-shirt.
“Nonnative, invasive lionfish have infiltrated state waters and are negatively impacting Florida’s reefs and wildlife,” said Jessica McCawley, director of the FWC’s Division of Marine Fisheries Management. “These fish not only prey on native saltwater species, they also compete for food with economically important species such as grouper and snapper. Please help us control the lionfish population.”
The contest began Thursday and will end April 30 or when 150 T-shirts have been given out.
Submitted photos must be your own. Photoshop or other editing software must not be used, and the photo must not include inappropriate content. Photos should be recent and preferably taken in Florida. One T-shirt per household, please. Once the photos are reviewed by the FWC, photographers will be contacted to submit the original photo by email. The FWC may use the photos for educational purposes.
Learn more about lionfish at MyFWC.com/Nonnatives; click on “Marine Life.”
The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission came into existence on July 1, 1999 - the result of a constitutional amendment approved in the 1998 General Election as part of the package proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission.
In the implementation of the Constitutional Amendment, the Florida Legislature combined all of the staff and Commissioners of the former Marine Fisheries Commission, elements of the Divisions of Marine Resources and Law Enforcement of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and all of the employees and Commissioners of the former Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.
Five years later, after consulting stakeholders, employees and other interested parties, the FWC adopted a new internal structure to address complex conservation issues of the new century. The new structure focuses on programs, such as habitat management, that affect numerous species. It will focus on moving the decision-making process closer to the public and did not require any additional funding or additional positions.
