Want the Latest on Florida Lionfish? There's an App for That
Florida's ongoing fight against the spiny, invasive lionfish has gone high-tech with a new mobile app.
Now anyone who spots a lionfish and wants to report it simply needs to whip out their mobile device and send the info through the "Report Florida Lionfish" app.
During a Twitter feed, The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission unveiled the new smart device app this week, promising the first 250 people to successfully complete the Report Florida Lionfish app reporting form will receive a free "Lionfish Control Team" t-shirt.
The new Report Florida Lionfish app includes educational information on the lionfish, which is native to the Indian Ocean but since the 1990s has settled in the Western Atlantic, grown exponentially and threatened ecosystems as well as regional commerce along the East Coast and Caribbean, and safe handling guidelines, along with the "easy-to-use data-reporting form," with which divers, anglers or others can share information with the commission about their sightings or lionfish harvests.
App users also can capture and share photos of their catches -- with the understanding the photos could be used in future state publications or social media efforts.
All data posted through the app will be available to the public and shared with other groups and agencies who collect this kind of information.
Even if one doesn't have a smart device, they can submit lionfish-related data online at MyFWC.com/Fishing and then by clicking on "Saltwater," "Recreational Regulations" and "Lionfish."
About four years ago, a campaign was launched to cut the numbers of lionfish in the region, according to a story by the Associated Press. Since then, Jamaica's National Environment and Planning Agency has seen a 66 percent drop in sightings of the venomous fish in regional waters.
Back in August of 2012, the Conservation Commission approved a temporary rule that waived the recreational fishing license requirement when targeting lionfish with pole spears, handheld nets, Hawaiian slings or other devices specifically designed for catching lionfish, also known as pterois, which are a culinary delicacy, but also have poisonous spines.
The Florida rule also removed any bag limits for the exotic fish; recreational anglers previously could not catch more than 100 pounds of lionfish without a commercial license.
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