Florida Lionfish Challenge Removes Record 36,187 Fish in 2026

Florida’s 2026 Lionfish Challenge set participation and removal records: 533 divers and harvesters reported removing 36,187 lionfish across 1,468 dive trips. The total was more than 5,000 fish above the 2025 challenge result, while the number of participants shows that the annual effort drew a broad response. Those figures make this a record season for the program, though they don’t tell us by themselves how much the removals changed lionfish populations in Florida waters.

The distinction matters. A tally of fish brought in measures what challenge participants removed; it isn’t a census of the fish still present or a direct measure of changes to native species. Still, year-to-year participation and catch totals offer a useful view of how much organized removal activity the event can attract. This is more significant than it looks: sustained participation is part of what makes a recurring harvest program possible.

FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said harvesting lionfish helps ease pressure on native marine species and supports biodiversity. That rationale reflects the challenge’s practical approach: enlist people already able to reach the fish, then reward removals through a public competition. The reported totals show how much participants collected, while the broader ecological effect is harder to establish from the challenge figures alone.

Marine Fisheries Management Director Jessica McCawley credited recreational divers and commercial harvesters, as well as agency staff, sponsors and community supporters, for the season’s results. The range of contributors points to the coordination behind an event that depends on people finding, collecting and reporting fish across the state. (And this is the part most people overlook.) A leaderboard may put individual catches in the spotlight, but the challenge also relies on checkpoints and organizers to turn many separate trips into a countable result.

Six titles recognize different contributions

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission expanded this year’s awards to six categories. They cover individual harvest totals, commercial catch, youth and veteran participation, and collection sites, giving the competition several ways to recognize work beyond a single top diver.

That structure matters because participants aren’t all doing the same kind of work. A diver’s individual fish count, a commercial harvester’s weight, and a checkpoint’s volume of collected tails describe different contributions. They shouldn’t be read as interchangeable measures, but together they show the different roles the challenge recognizes.

• Lionfish King: Hunter Ledbetter of Monroe County removed 1,541 fish.
• Lionfish Queen: Helen Rodney of Broward County harvested 1,488.
• Commercial Champion: David Garrett of Volusia County landed 1,136 pounds.
• Junior Champion: Meagan Huffman of Texas removed 185.
• Veteran Champion: Ledbetter, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, led military and veteran participants.
• Top Checkpoint: Dive Pros in Pensacola received more than 5,000 lionfish tails.

The individual awards put the scale of some participants’ efforts in view: Ledbetter reported 1,541 fish, and Rodney reported 1,488. The commercial title uses pounds landed rather than a fish count, while the checkpoint award tracks tails received. Those distinctions give readers a clearer sense of what each title measures—and a reason to avoid treating the list as one simple ranking.

The youth and veteran categories also widen the event’s public face. Meagan Huffman’s 185 removals earned the Junior Champion title, and Ledbetter’s veteran award recognized his standing among military and veteran participants. The results establish who received each title; they don’t explain what motivated those individuals to take part. Even so, the range of awardees suggests the challenge is designed to welcome different kinds of participants.

Open to divers across Florida

The FWC runs the challenge each year to reward people who harvest invasive lionfish. Entry is free, divers can compete from anywhere in Florida, and prizes are awarded during the event according to the number of fish removed. That statewide format gives participants a common set of rules while allowing them to take part from different locations.

If you’re working in this space, the open entry and varied award categories are worth watching as signs of how the program invites participation. The 2026 totals are strong evidence that many people took part and reported substantial removals. They don’t show how many fish remain, or whether the same level of activity will continue in a future challenge. A record season, then—but not a final verdict on the ecological problem.

What the record can—and can’t—tell us

The 36,187 reported removals and 1,468 dive trips give the public a concrete account of this year’s challenge. The total’s increase of more than 5,000 fish over 2025 provides a straightforward comparison with the previous event. Yet challenge counts are best understood as records of participant activity, not a complete measure of the population being targeted.

That limitation doesn’t erase the value of the results. Regular reporting can show whether an organized event is attracting people and collecting fish at scale. It can also give future participants a point of comparison, provided the figures continue to be reported in a comparable way. The next useful question is whether participation and removals remain high, and how those measures fit alongside other information about native marine species.

For now, the clearest takeaway is narrower: Florida’s annual event drew its largest reported field and recorded its highest removals since it began. That’s a meaningful operational milestone. The ecological significance will depend on evidence beyond a single season’s leaderboard.

For participation details, visit ReefRangers.MyFWC.com.