2026 Rules and Instructions

Registration

• Participants must register for the 2026 Florida Fish and Wildlife Lionfish Challenge tournament on Fishing Chaos. Go to the “Home” tab to find the link to register. You will be directed to the 2026 Florida Fish and Wildlife Lionfish Challenge tournament on Fishing Chaos. You will need to create a free user account with a username and password.
• You may only use Fishing Chaos on your browser or download the app via your app store.
• Participants may only qualify for one category (recreational or commercial)
  •  Participants with an active Saltwater Products License and commercial lionfish sales within the last year must register for the commercial category

How to Submit Your Catch

Instructions for Commercial Divers

• After harvesting your lionfish, sell them to a licensed wholesale dealer and get a copy of your Printed trip ticket verifying the commercial sale.
•  After obtaining your trip ticket, you must complete an online submission.
  •   Go to the “Submissions” tab to find the link to submit your harvest. You will be directed to the 2026 Florida Fish and Wildlife Lionfish Challenge Tournament on Fishing Chaos.
  • Click “Submit Catch”
  • Input the pounds of fish harvested as documented on your trip ticket.
  • Upload a photo of the trip ticket – you may submit either a photo, scanned copy, or online screen grab of your trip ticket.
  • Divers are encouraged to “cover up” or hide the amount per pound and what they have earned from the trip ticket.
  • Submissions for commercial trips must be uploaded within 1 week of the date of the trip ticket to be eligible! Submissions received later than 1 week of the trip ticket date will be denied approval.
• Commercial Participants will also be required to submit a photo of the “catch” at the wholesale dealer to ensure tails have not been removed from lionfish.

Things to note:

• Please complete an online submission for EACH trip ticket.
• Only lionfish sales with species code 460 will be accepted.
• Lionfish sold with tails removed are NOT eligible for this competition. If we have reason to believe a participant is selling fish with tails previously removed, they will be disqualified from competing.
• Submissions without a trip ticket AND a photo of the catch will NOT be accepted.

Instructions for Recreational Divers:

• Recreational participants will now be required to submit a picture of them with their lionfish. The picture MUST contain the following: a piece of paper or whiteboard with the day’s date, participant’s name, and number of lionfish being submitted. Participants must include themselves in the picture.
• After harvesting your lionfish, remove the tails leaving a small bit of meat attached and place in a plastic ziplock style bag.
• Label Bag with your name, phone number, date of harvest, and the number of lionfish tails.
• Bring tails and a tail verification form to a local Checkpoint for verification of harvest.
  • The Checkpoint will count your tails, sign your verification form, and return the form to you.
  • Checkpoints will keep the tails for our records.
• After verifying your tails at a Checkpoint, you must complete an online submission.
  • Go to the “Submissions” tab to find the link to submit your harvest. You will be directed to the 2026 Florida Fish and Wildlife Lionfish Challenge Tournament on Fishing Chaos.
  • Click “Submit Catch”.
  • Input the correct number of fish harvested as documented on the approved Tail Verification Form.
  • Upload a photo of the Tail Verification Form and a photo of the bag of tails with your information visible – You may submit either a photo, scanned copy, or online screen grab of your completed verification form.
  • Submissions for recreational submissions must be uploaded within 1 week of the date of their Tail Verification Form in order to be eligible. Submissions received later than 1 week of the date on the verification form will be denied approval.

Things to note:

•    Please complete one verification form and one online submission FOR EACH TRIP you take – if you harvest lionfish on 5 separate dive trips, then you must submit 5 Tail Verification Forms.
• Please do NOT bring smelly fish to your Checkpoint. Checkpoints have the right to deny any rotten or otherwise uncountable tails!
• Please keep all verification forms until the 2026 Lionfish Challenge has ended.
•   Submissions on Fishing Chaos MUST have the picture of the participant with their lionfish and paper/whiteboard information AND Tail Verification Form.

Prizes

Prizes will be awarded in a tiered fashion – the more lionfish you submit, the more prizes you’ll receive! The requirements for each tier are as follows.

·         Tier 1 – Harvest 25 Lionfish (Recreational Category) or 50lbs of lionfish (Commercial Category)

·         Tier 2 – Harvest 50 Lionfish (Recreational Category) or 100lbs of lionfish (Commercial Category)

·         Tier 3 – Harvest 100 Lionfish (Recreational Category) or 200lbs of Lionfish (Commercial Category)

·         Tier 4 – Harvest 200 Lionfish (Recreational Category) or 400lbs of Lionfish (Commercial Category)

·         Tier 5 – Harvest 400 Lionfish (Recreational Category) or 600lbs of Lionfish (Commercial Category)

·         Tier 6 – Harvest 600 Lionfish (Recreational Category) or 800lbs of Lionfish (Commercial Category)

***2026 FWC Lionfish Challenge coin allows retention of one extra spiny lobster per day during the 2026 lobster sport season. (July 29-30, 2026)

2026 FWC Lionfish Challenge Categories

Lionfish King – Awarded to the top male participant in the recreational category (Sponsored by - )

Lionfish Queen – Awarded to the top female participant in the recreational category (Sponsored by - )

Commercial Champion – Awarded to the top participant in the commercial category (Sponsored by - )

Junior Reef Ranger – Awarded to the top participant in the recreational category under the age of 18. (Sponsored by - )

Veteran – awarded to the top military veteran participant in the recreational category. (Proof of military service required) (Sponsored by - )

Top Checkpoint – Awarded to the FWC Lionfish Checkpoint with the most lionfish submitted. (Sponsored by - )

Tier Prizes

T1 – Challenge coin, performance hoodie

T2 – Changing robe, hat

T3 – Pole Spear, gloves, heat pack

T4 – Zookeeper, Dive knife, dive light

T5 – Custom Cooler and tumbler

T6 – GoPro camera bundle