The vibrant green iguana is an invasive species that has been wreaking havoc on South Florida’s ecosystem since the 1960s. Believed to have arrived as stowaways on ships, these reptiles have become a menace, consuming a wide variety of native vegetation and endangering species like the Miami Blue Butterfly. Invasive EnVogue: A Unique Approach to … Read more
Thanks to the recent efforts of four local divers, there are several hundred less invasive lionfish wreaking havoc on Florida Keys reefs. Team Forever Young, consisting of Tony Young, Jason Vogan, Jeff Tharp, and Luke Rankin, collected 426 invasive lionfish while participating in the 2022 Earth Day “Locals” Lionfish Derby, hosted by Reef Environmental Education … Read more
The Lionfish Challenge rewards lionfish harvesters withs for lionfish removals. Those with the most lionfish will be crowned the Recreational Lionfish King/Queen and the Commercial Champion.
There is a lot of discussion about iguanas in the South Florida landscape. This exotic species is not native to FL but has been in the state for a while. These creatures are a unique part of our Broward environment. Like it or not, we are forced to share our living space with them. Some … Read more
Non-native Burmese python caught in Big Cypress, Florida – Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission /Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission People in Florida may have an unusual delicacy to sample, pending a state review of whether they are safe for consumption, CNN reported on Sunday: Burmese pythons. Burmese pythons are an invasive species in the Florida … Read more
If you’ve ever hit the beaches of Key West, Bermuda or Hawaii looking for a tranquil vacation, you may have experienced a rude awakening. By a rooster, that is. These tourist-laden seaside towns are full of feral chickens. They roam the graveyards. They strut the beaches. They peck at leftovers beneath busy tables on restaurant … Read more
National Iguana Awareness Day is observed on September 8. Iguanas are cold-blooded fascinating creatures with awful bite and an amazing active tail native to South and Central America.
IveGot1 brings the power of EDDMapS to your iPhone. Now you can submit invasive species observations directly with your iPhone from the field. These reports are uploaded to EDDMapS and e-mailed directly to local and state verifiers for review. IveGot1 was developed by the University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health through … Read more
23,451 Invasive Lionfish Removed!Congratulations to this year’s Lionfish Challenge top prize winners:• Most lionfish removed recreational category:Ken Ayers, Lionfish King = 1,194 removed• Most lionfish removed commercial category:Joshua Livingston = 3,192.8 lbs. removed• Largest lionfish category:Ron Surrency, Duval County, 17.04 inches (433 mm)• Smallest lionfish category:Nikkie Cox, Franklin County, 1.45 inches (37 mm) How to … Read more
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary encourages the safe removal of invasive lionfish from its waters and issues lionfish removal permits to divers for the collection of lionfish from Sanctuary Preservation Areas (SPAs). The permit allows lionfish to be removed from the SPAs, which are otherwise no-fishing, no-take zones, with hand nets or slurp guns only. Spearguns or … Read more
Lionfish, a brightly-colored, spiny fish that are not native to Florida, are taking over our reefs. How can we fight off this alien invasion? Floridians have come together to fight them off and save the reef. Lionfish, a brightly-colored, spiny fish that are not native to Florida, are taking over our reefs. How can we … Read more
What do you do with an invasive fish, covered from head to fin with venomous spines as sharp as hypodermic needles; a fish that can’t be caught with a rod or in a trawling net as it multiplies rapidly, deep in our oceans, flummoxing fishermen and scientists alike? Lionfish. Note: Venomous is not the same as … Read more
Florida’s native fish and wildlife are facing a serious threat posed by a variety of invasive species found throughout the state. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is taking steps to combat the introduction and spread of these non-native animals. Today, the Commission voted to approve a reorganization of rules related to non-native … Read more
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) invites Florida residents and visitors to take an active role in conservation by reporting fish and wildlife observations with the new FWC Reporter app. From fish kills to exotic species, to trapped or injured wildlife, FWC Reporter connects citizens to FWC experts directly from their Apple or … Read more
Jackson Landers grew up in a vegetarian household. Now he hunts and butchers much of his own meat. In the past five years, he’s focused on hunting and eating invasive species. In his book, Eating Aliens: One Man’s Adventures Hunting Invasive Animal Species, the 35-year-old Landers chronicles his travels around the country as he learns to hunt, … Read more
Successful is too small of a word to describe the second annual Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day Festival May 14-15. In Pensacola alone, 8,089 lionfish were removed in only two days at the Gulf Coast Lionfish Coalition Tournament. More than 7,000 people (more than double last year’s numbers) attended the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation … Read more
At its April 13 meeting in Jupiter, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a two-part lionfish removal plan to further encourage removals of the invasive species in 2016. Lionfish have a potential negative impact on native wildlife and habitat and the FWC encourages divers and anglers to remove them from Florida waters … Read more
The fight to control the invasive lionfish is about to get real if Ft. Pierce divers Bob and Maria Hickerson have anything to say about it. Hickerson and his wife — who run a series of highly successful lionfish derbies along Florida’s East Coast — also manufacture a popular line of lionfish harvesting gear, including … Read more
Filleting Lionfish
Python Challenge hunters planning to prowl the pinelands, mangroves and sloughs of Everglades National Park this winter should think again. Any pythons rounded up inside the national park’s boundaries must be taken alive by a specially authorized “python removal agent,” a National Park Service regional director said in a Sept. 25 letter. Apparently that applies to … Read more