2014 SWFL Lionfish Derby Registration + Lionfish Harvesting Kit

FGCU Spearfishing Club is hosting the 1st Annual SWFL Lionfish Derby April 11th-13th 2014. Friday April 11th will be a mandatory captains meeting at Big Game Waterfront Grille, as well as a Lionfish handling safety seminar. Saturday April 12th is a full day of hunting(dawn-dusk). Sunday April 13th will be the weigh-in and awards ceremony at Big Game Waterfront Grille.

***********Charters and hotel accommodations available upon request. If needed, please contact CJ Duffie.***********

Registration is $200.00 for a team of 4 divers maximum. A late fee of $50.00 will be assessed for any team not registered prior to April 1st 2014.

Each team will receive a large Zookeeper containment unit(Retail:$99.95), ***first 6 registered teams receive SafeSpear Lionfish Polespear(Retail:$175.00)***, puncture proof gloves(Retail:$39.95), and a tournament shirt for each team member.

Prizes:
-1st Place Team Total Count: 1st choice from prize table
-2nd Place Team Total Count: 2nd choice from prize table
-3rd Place Team Total Count: 3rd choice from prize table
-Largest Lionfish Length: 1 Medium Zookeeper Containment Unit
-Smallest Lionfish length:1 Medium Zookeeper Containment Unit

Prize Table:
~ 4 Round Trip Tickets on Key West Express
~ 4 Florida Freedivers Gift Cards($100.00 each)
~ GoPro Hero Silver
~Travel/Dive Master Zookeeper Containment Unit

Rules:
1) Lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) eligible for entry may only be taken during the derby. No previously caught or frozen lionfish will be allowed. However, please keep all lionfish on ice. FGCU Spearfishing reserves the right to keep all lionfish presented at scoring station, for uses including “lionfish tasting”, research and market development.
2) Only lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) may be taken during the derby.
3) Derby teams must attend the Captain’s meeting on April 11, 2014, to participate in the derby. The captain MUST be present, and all team members are encouraged to attend. Every team member must sign the Legal Waiver Form and the Lionfish Understanding of Risk Form. If a team member does not sign the forms, the team will not be considered entered in the derby, regardless of whether or not registration fees were paid.
4) During this single day event only lionfish may be taken by hook and line, hand held net, pole spear, Hawaiian sling, or other spearing device specifically designed and marketed exclusively for lionfish. No chemicals, traps or other collecting mechanisms are allowed.
5) Lionfish must be harvested from the Gulf of Mexico.
6) Teams will be limited to 4 persons. To qualify for prizes, participants must register and show proper identification.
7) Non-refundable registration fees are $200 per boat, with up to four people participating. Each registered boat captain checking in at the Captain’s Meeting on April 11th will receive: one Large Zookeeper Containment Unit per team, ****one SafeSpear Polespear per team for the first 6 teams registered, any teams registered after the first 6 will receive standard Lionfish Polespear per team****,one pair of HexArmor protective gloves per team and an official derby t-shirt for each team member.
8) Protective gloves should be worn when handling lionfish. Participants are encouraged to carry a thermos bottle on the boat containing hot, but not scalding, water for first aid purposes.
9) Derby hours: Sunrise until Sunset April 12, 2014. All fish must be present at Scoring Station by 11:00am Sunday April 13, 2014 to qualify for prizes.
10) Prizes will be awarded in first, second, and third places for most lionfish, and categories for smallest and largest lionfish by length. Other categories may be added as decided by derby officials.
11) Only one winning entry per team will be allowed in each category (no sweeping of a category).
12) If no entries are received in any category, the remaining awards will be left as unclaimed.
13) All lionfish must be in whole condition (no missing heads or tails). Largest and smallest fish will be determined by total length of the fish, in millimeters, measuring from tip of snout to tip of tail.
14) Any live lionfish at Scoring Station may be euthanized prior to being measured.
15) All entrants agree to allow derby officials, FGCU Spearfishing and Gulf Coast Lionfish Coalition to take and use photos for media and promotional purposes.
16) All parties participate at their own discretion and risk. The derby takes place regardless of weather conditions. Captains make their own decision about whether or not to venture out.
17) In the event of a tie, the winning team will be determined by the earliest check in at the Scoring Station.
18) All prizes will be awarded to Team Captain at ceremony on Sunday April 13, 2014.
19) The derby is an honor system tournament. The captain is responsible for team compliance with the rules.
20) Anyone found violating derby rules by the derby officials will be disqualified from receiving any derby prizes and prohibited from entry in any future derbies.
21) Decisions of the derby officials are final.

Contact CJ Duffie for any further questions about this event.
(305) 815-5728
[email protected]