2025 Lionfish Invitational

Apply now to participate in the 2025 Lionfish Invitational! 

The Lionfish Invitational is a research-based citizen science expedition to remove invasive lionfish from Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and its surroundings. This effort has grown by leaps and bounds since the first trip in 2015, and is now managed by the non-profit Lionfish Invitational, Inc. with support from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the sanctuary. All trip activities within the sanctuary are conducted under federal permits.

There are four trips planned this year:

June 22-26
July 20-24
August 18-22
September 21-25

In addition to lionfish removals, these trips will also support three other research projects in the sanctuary.

1. Texas Parks & Wildlife scientific monitoring: Participants will conduct roving fish surveys, lionfish removals, benthic surveys, water sampling, and fin and tissue sampling from lionfish.

2. Habitat and Connectivity of Lionfish and Natural Predators project (Marissa Nuttall, TAMUG/FGBNMS): Under a federal permit, trip participants will help capture fish to be surgically tagged and released for this acoustic tracking project.

3. Regal Damselfish Impacts on Native Damselfish study (Dr. John Majoris, TAMUCC): Participants will be assessing the distribution of regal damselfish, collecting live fish, and spearing others under a federal permit.

Applications are due by midnight on March 1, 2025.

SOURCE: Lionfish Invitational, Inc.

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