How FWC's 'Lionfish Challenge' Tournament helps protect the environment

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) announced guidelines and prizes for this year's "Lionfish Challenge."
Each year, divers of all ages around the state participate in the challenge to remove and harvest as many lionfish as they can in just three months, FWC said in a news release.
More than 195,000 lionfish have been removed since the event was established in 2016, wildlife officials said.
Organizers said this year's challenge will take place from Friday to Sept. 2. Competitors will be split into two categories, recreational and commercial, with grand prizes awarded to each division's top competitor.
Prizes will be awarded as follows:
Tier 1- Harvest 25 lionfish (recreational category) or 50 pounds of lionfish (commercial category)
Tier 2- Harvest 75 lionfish (recreational category) or 100 pounds of lionfish (commercial category)
Tier 3- Harvest 150 lionfish (recreational category) or 200 pounds of lionfish (commercial category)
Tier 4- Harvest 300 lionfish (recreational category) or 400 pounds of lionfish (commercial category)
Tier 5- Harvest 600 lionfish (recreational category) or 800 pounds of lionfish (commercial category)
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