T
he 5th annual Lionfi sh Removal and Awareness Festival took place on May 18-
19, at AJ’s Seafood & Oyster Bar and HarborWalk Village overlooking Destin
harbor. The Director of Destin Fishing Rodeo, Bruce Cheves served as the MC
at the event. The free event was open to the public and featured family-friendly
activities, with over 35 vendors participating in the event with booths for art, diving marine
conservation, live music, fi llet demonstrations, and lionfi sh tastings. The world’s largest
lionfi sh spearfi shing tournament also took place where participants vied for the most caught
Lionfi sh, the smallest and the largest Lionfi sh.
The event which was hosted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
and Emerald Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, brought in professionals, scientists and
volunteers from all over the United States who were on hand to educate those who came to the
festivities. Since 2014 over half a million Lionfi sh have been removed from Florida waters.
photos & story by
Zhalman Harris
VIP Destin Aj’s
in
Removal & Recovery Day
70 | VIPDestinMagazine.com
Vivian Lucy & Sydney Cope
Daphne Woodson, Cheryl Booth, Tara Kenly & Angela Galbreath
Paula Bright & Beth Miller
Nikki Paschen & Cher Maestas
Randy Gross
Matt Lollar & Taylor Wilken
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