The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's annual lionfish hunting competition just wrapped up, and it broke records for both attendance and results, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
The hundreds of divers who entered the competition had three-and-a-half months to catch as many of the invasive species as they could. When all was said and done, over 31,000 lionfish had been removed from Florida waters.
Lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific Sea and the Red Sea, first appeared off the coast of South Florida in 1985, per the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Outside of their native habitat, the predatory species has been able to outcompete native species like snapper and grouper while also eating fish that serve important functions in maintaining coral reefs. Their presence has disrupted the entire ecosystem, which has led Florida (and other places) to get creative in enlisting the public's help to control their populations.
Lionfish hunting competitions have popped up in places such as Costa Rica and Mexico.
"The Lionfish Challenge raises awareness of this invasive species and serves as a great way to get people outdoors and involved in conservation by removing invasive lionfish," FWC executive director Roger Young said in a press release, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
While the lionfish have spines that are venomous to predators, their flesh is not venomous once the spines are removed, which means that they are safe for humans to consume — and also, reportedly, delicious. As such, officials are encouraging people to eat them to help curb populations.
The "If we can't beat them, let's eat them!" approach to controlling invasive species has also been applied to many other plants and animals, including Asian carp, blue catfish, Himalayan blackberries, and more.
Of course, any species that is invasive to one area is native to another area, and vice versa, so if you're interested in helping your local ecosystem and having a tasty treat at the same time, look into which invasive species officials are encouraging people to eat more of where you live.
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