Okaloosa County's Lionfish Tournament removes over 20,000 invasive species
OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – The annual Emerald Coast Open and Lionfish Festival in Destin-Fort Walton Beach successfully removed more than 20,000 invasive lionfish.
According to a news release, the annual event has officially removed over 100,000 invasive fish since 2019.
Utilizing and inspired by the catch, the festival team created plenty of lion-fish inspired dishes, music, and informational booths for the public for this 2025 event.
This was a two-day tournament, including a pre-tournament, where divers from across the country came to participate. The lionfish harvested by divers were measured and weighed behind AJ's Seafood and Oyster Bar before heading to the Lionfish Festival hosted by HarborWalk Village.
ZooWorld Zoological Park welcomes rare aardwolf pups after 40 years
'This event has brought a lot of awareness to the invasive lionfish species and created a festive atmosphere for the enjoyment of our visitors and residents, while fostering prosperity for our local businesses,' Okaloosa County Board Chairman Paul Mixon said.
The divers for this event competed to win nearly $175,000 in cash and gear prizes for categories like smallest lionfish, largest lionfish and most lionfish caught.
'While this event continues to flourish, the opposite is happening for this invasive species,' Natural Resources Chief Alex Fogg explained.
The lionfish are an invasive species where hook and line fishing is ineffective. They have few known predators in the Gulf, so events like this with divers armed with spears are more productive.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Inside look at Panama City Beach Fire Rescue's daily training exercises
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WMBB) – Panama City Beach Fire Rescue responds to 6,000 calls a year, but they spend a lot of time training. Today's drill was called 'pump evolution' to train a new fire truck driver. The truck pulls up to a scene, firefighters deploy a hose, connect it to a fire hydrant and start spraying water. The drills help firefighters respond to emergencies safely and efficiently, and to be prepared for anything. 'Every single shift is different. Whether we're doing a lift, assist, a medical call, go to the airport for an emergency there. Every single day, it's going to be something different. So we strive to stay ready and to prepare for the worst case for somebody else,' Panama City Beach Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Brandon Memford said. Kids get a chance to see what firefighters do during the 'Camp 9-1–1' summer camp. They'll visit Fire Station 30 on Wednesday, and also see how beach safety members train on a riptide simulator machine. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
South Walton Fire District opens 19th lifeguard tower
SOUTH WALTON, Fla. (WMBB) – In opening its 19th lifeguard tower on Tuesday, June 10, the South Walton Fire District is now the professional beach safety services provider for WaterSound Beach. According to a SWFD Facebook post, the tower is funded through a contractual agreement between SWFD and St. Joe Resort Operations, LLC, alongside support from the WaterSound Beach Homeowners Association. Lynn Haven official advocates for senior-friendly USPS drop box Officials said adding a tower means enhancing beach safety services in what lifeguards have historically considered the 'Seven Mile Stretch,' a name derived from the area of South Walton beaches where there are no on-site lifeguard coverage, emergency access challenges and consistently high-call volume. 'The seven miles can tax our resources quickly, but frankly it isn't just about emergency responses to any of the unguarded beaches,' said SWFD Beach Safety Director David Vaughan. 'The absence of official lifeguard services means it's more challenging to educate face-to-face and prevent emergencies from happening altogether. The bulk of what we do is prevention, but without the opportunity to have a presence, prevention doesn't happen as easily.' The South Walton Fire District has added four towers since the start of the 2025 Beach Safety Season and are continually hiring seasonal and full-time lifeguards of all experience levels. To apply, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Junior Lifeguard Program returns to South Walton
WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Every summer, the South Walton Fire District Junior Lifeguard Program makes its return to teach lifeguarding skills to young recruits. For Summer 2025, the program will begin on Thursday with approximately 200 participants aged 9 to 16 years old. According to a news release, SWFD Beach Safety staff will train four groups in skills such as open water swimming, CPR and first aid, conducting water rescues, rip current identification, drowning prevention, beach warning flag comprehension, and more. Firefighters work together to control structure fire in Walton County 'Juniors fits the mold on why we matter for this community and shows how far we have come in creating longevity for ourselves in 20 seasons of operations,' SWFD Beach Safety Director David Vaughan said. The program creates a pipeline for participating Juniors to become professional lifeguards once they turn 17. Further information and photos will be released once the program is underway. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.