Photos & Video: Annual Lionfish Tournament
The 2025 Lionfish Tournament took place this weekend, supporting the Bermuda Lionfish Task Force and honouring the memory of Graham Maddocks, a pioneer in the fight against the invasive species in Bermuda’s waters.
Sponsored by Blue Water Divers, the lionfish tournament has been running for more than a decade, raising awareness and encouraging action against lionfish.
Chris Gauntlett, owner of Blue Water Divers, said Mr Maddocks, who passed away earlier this year, played a pivotal role in shaping Bermuda’s response to the lionfish threat.
Mr Maddocks was instrumental in founding both the Ocean Support Foundation and the Lionfish Task Force.
“Lionfish are a specific species that were introduced into the Atlantic Ocean in the early 2000s,” Mr Gauntlett told Bernews. “Places like Bermuda are suffering from their presence.
“Various organisations and groups got together in 2012 to develop the national plan for Bermuda’s response to the invasive lionfish problem.
“This year, for the first time, the Heatwave Tournament, and hopefully the tournaments going forward, will be held in memory of Graham Maddocks.”
Reflecting on Mr Maddocks’s legacy, Mr Gauntlett added: “He’s a legend in the start of Bermuda’s response to the lionfish issue.
“We have here today members of Graham’s family and members of the lionfish community to participate in the Heatwave Tournament but also remember Graham.”
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Category: All, Environment, Environment, Marine, News, Photos
Very nice! How do we encourage more restaurants to buy and serve the fish? It would help bring the population down.
“How do we encourage more restaurants to buy and serve the fish?”
Be careful with that idea, lionfish contain a potentially dangerous neurotoxin. If they are to be eaten, they must be prepared carefully.
Is there a way to specifically target lionfish? Spear fishing does the job but seems to be very labour intensive.
Recall seeing my first lionfish in Bermuda around 1994 in a small cove below Wreck Hill.