Taming the Lionfish, or the History of the “Lion-Tamer” Lionfish Dive Tournaments at Capt. Anderson’s Marina

“Being a marina where generations of anglers have made their living from the water, when we first learned about the lionfish it was hard to comprehend just how much we would be affected” said Pam Anderson, Operations Manager at Capt. Anderson’s Marina. “We have since learned many unsettling things about the lionfish - its voracious appetite, unparalleled reproductive skills, and especially disturbing is that it doesn’t have any natural predators in our local waters”. According to Pam, “The kicker was that this fish does NOT bite a hook…and gobbling up the baby fish that our local economy depends on!”

Thank goodness they had an employee who was not only Captain of the sightseeing boat, but a professional diver; Capt. Ron Spriggs! In 2012, while the marina was planning a fishing tournament, in conjunction with the PCB Seafood Festival, Capt. Spriggs asked about adding a Dive Tournament. Not only that, he informed us there was a pesky little critter that had just started entering our reefs here on the NW FL coastline – the Lionfish.

Since a diver’s bottom time is expensive, Spriggscame up with a way to provide an incentive for them to stick around the reef and kill the lionfish while they were out there during the tournament instead of just going for “the big ones”. With Sprigg’s help, Capt. Anderson’s Marina instituted the “Lion-Tamer” Dive Tournament by allowing the divers to bring in reef fish that were in season and in addition – kill as many lionfish as they could within the time period. According to Spriggs, it would “Jazz it up by having each lionfishact as a wild card, adding one pound each to the fish of the diver’s choice”.

In addition to the “Lion-Tamer” Dive Tournament, in 2013 Ron also conceived of what is now known as the Seafari Eco-Tour in St. Andrews Bay. During this educational sightseeing adventure, the public can get a close up and personal view of the diverse marine life in St. Andrews Bay. This has not only become a favorite for locals and visitors, but a top rated field trip for schools all over.

Last year, learning that the lionfish had invaded St. Andrews Bay brings this full circle. It is particularly disturbing since this beautiful bay in our backyard has the particular distinction of having some of the most diverse marine life of any bay in North America. Now, they are not only intent on educating the public about keeping the lionfish off our reefs out in the Gulf of Mexico, but also assisting with the efforts to educate divers about removing them from the waters of St. Andrews Bay.

A lot of the credit goes to our co-hosts Clay and Stacie Galbreath with Divers Den, who have participated in the tournament since the beginning. Actually, Clay won the 1st tournament in 2012 and their teenage daughter Courtney took the honors in 2013! Divers Den has been instrumental in co-hosting this tournament and especially since a serious injury sidelined our beloved Capt. Ron last year, they have coordinated the divers and “all things lionfish”.

Unfortunately, based upon the numbers, Bay County needs more participation because the lionfish population is growing! The first tournament in 2012 landed only 9 lionfish, a total of 191 in 2013, and 452 in 2014! It is thru state-wide efforts such as these that we will keep them under some type of control, at least the reefs that we can access.

The Lion-Tamer tournaments provide workshopsand training for the divers, plus exhibits and education for the public during the event. According to Stacie Galbreath, “We teach about the spread of the lionfish invasion, how it got here, and familiarize all with safe handling”. “The ultimate goal is to increase participation in the lionfish control efforts! Not only that, but inviting local chefs to prepare them on site, allows people to actually taste a bite of this delicious white fish which is extremely beneficial in spreading the word!” On Saturday, Chef Justin from Finns will be working his magic on the grill at 4pm.

This year, Capt. Anderson’s Marina and Divers Den invite you to join us on May 16, 2015 for our 4th Annual “Lion-Tamer” Dive Tournament with proceeds from the dive tournament tickets to benefit the Bay County Artificial Reef Association. The event will include Lionfish Awareness ExhibitsDemonstrations; a Dive History Exhibit and a FREE Kid’s Fishing Clinic. To encourage as much public participation as possible, we will also have local vendors selling crafts, and there will be activities such as a Bounce House, Kids Cool off Zone, and other nautical exhibits to see.

This day was planned in conjunction with the FWC’s designation this year of the Saturday after Mother’s Day as the ANNUAL Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day. There are Lionfish derbies and removal efforts all across the state of Florida, with the Lion-Tamer being held here in Bay County. Capt. Anderson’s Marina and Divers’s Den are looking forward to doing their part in eradicating these fish from our coastal waters for years to come.

A complete activity schedule can be found at CaptAndersonsMarina.com and DiversDenPCB.com.

SATURDAY 5/16/15

4th Annual Lion-Tamer Dive Tournament5am to 4pm

Weigh-in & Fish Tasting4pm to 6pm

Family Fun Day: FREE - Games & Exhibits 11am to 6pm

Vendor & Seafood Market11am to 6pm

FREE - Buster’s Kids Fishing Clinic1pm to 4pm

See you down on the docks!

********* Michelle Gerth, Capt. Anderson’s Marina 5/1/15