Florida’s annual Lionfish Challenge ended with record participation and removals, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The summer-long tournament drew 533 registered participants, who removed 36,187 lionfish during 1,468 dive trips. The total was more than 5,000 fish higher than the 2025 challenge, the FWC said.
Lionfish are an invasive species that can affect native wildlife and habitats. A female lionfish can release as many as 30,000 eggs every four days, allowing populations to grow rapidly and compete with native species for food and habitat, according to the agency.
FWC expanded the competition this year to recognize six champions. Hunter Ledbetter of Monroe County was named Lionfish King after removing 1,541 lionfish, while Helen Rodney of Broward County earned Lionfish Queen with 1,488 harvested. Ledbetter, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, also was the top military and veteran participant.
Other winners included David Garrett of Volusia County, who removed 1,136 pounds of lionfish to take the Commercial Champion title; Meagan Huffman of Texas, the Junior Champion with 185 lionfish; and Dive Pros in Pensacola, named Top Checkpoint after accepting more than 5,000 lionfish tails during the season.
The Lionfish Challenge is a free annual program open to divers competing from anywhere in Florida. Participants can earn prizes based on the number of invasive lionfish they remove.
