Emerald Coast Open Removes 20K+ Invasive Lionfish

Staff members in blue shirts and gloves measure a lionfish under a tent at the 2025 Emerald Coast Open in Destin, Florida.

Emerald Coast Open Removes 20K+ Invasive Lionfish Staff Reports May 22, 2025 8:43 am Charities and Nonprofits, Destin, Events, Fort Walton Beach, News, Okaloosa County, Wildlife In Brief: 🐠 20,502 lionfish were removed from the Gulf during the 2025 Emerald Coast Open and Lionfish Festival in Destin-Fort Walton Beach. 🎯 Deep Water Mafia 1 led […]

Emerald Coast Open Helps Control Invasive Lionfish

The Emerald Coast Open lionfish tournament, held from May 17-19, saw divers remove 11,844 invasive lionfish from the Gulf of Mexico throughout the event. Participants competed for $125,000 in prizes, with winners including VJL Seafood, Deep Water Mafia El Gato Negro, Lookin’ Back, and Bob Brown. The tournament also featured the Lionfish Festival and Restaurant Week, promoting conservation and culinary innovation with lionfish dishes.

Destin-FWB Tourney Catches Almost 14,000 Lionfish

Lionfish Menace to Local Ecosystems Reduced Okaloosa County, Fla. – Divers participating in the 4th Annual Emerald Coast Open Lionfish Tournament successfully removed 13,835 lionfish from local waters. The invasive species prey on native fish and have no known predators due to their venomous spines. Hosted by Destin-Fort Walton Beach, alongside Florida Fish and Wildlife […]

Mid Bay News

A drone view of the activity on Boggy Bayou before the annual fireworks festival put on every year by the cities of Niceville  and Valparaiso.