The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), along with Escambia County Marine Resources, recently hosted the first Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day Festival and Tournament at Plaza de Luna, 900 S. Palafox St. Nearly 3,000 people attended the two-day event, which included celebrity chef demonstrations, lionfish tastings, fillet demos and a visit from world famous artist and marine conservationist Guy Harvey.
The festival featured plenty of family activities, including games, art, diving and conservation vendors, music and food, and the tournament resulted in more than 800 lionfish being removed from the local area. Event sponsors included Guy Harvey Magazine, Coast Watch Alliance, Marina Management, Jaco’s Bayfront Bar & Grille, Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, the City of Pensacola and tournament host Gulf Coast Lionfish Coalition.
Lionfish are invasive exotic species with potential for great harm to economy, environment and fisheries. For more information about lionfish or the event, visit the Gulf Coast Lionfish Coalition (GCLC) webpage at Gulfcoastlionfish.com/lionfish_events or visit their Facebook page at Facebook.com/gulfcoastlionfishcoalition.
