First of Its Kind Lionfish Derby Kicks off on St. Thomas and St. John in August

The Caribbean Oceanic Restoration and Education Foundation (CORE) presents the first-ever Lionfish Derby to occur in the St. Thomas-St. John district beginning on Aug. 16 – 18, with fishing taking place on Saturday, Aug. 17, from 6 a.m. – 4 p.m.

CORE, a nonprofit organization established in the Virgin Islands in 2010, works to protect and preserve the marine and coral ecosystems across the Virgin Islands through various initiatives, including beach clean-ups, coral treatments, and coral growing operations. They also worked in partnership with other organizations to advocate for the exclusive use of mineral-based sunscreens in the territory after seeing how the oxybenzone sunscreens were degrading coral health. Additionally, CORE also works to reduce the populations of invasive species, like the lionfish with regularly scheduled hunts throughout the year.

Matthew Sims, the Education and Outreach director for CORE, believes that the growing lionfish population is creating hazardous effects on the health of our coral reefs and vulnerable fish species.