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INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA BOARD MEMORANDUM PUBLIC NOTICE (INFORMATIONAL) TO: Jason E. Brown, County Administrator THROUGH: Richard B. Szpyrka, P.E., Public Works Director THROUGH: James D. Gray, Jr., Coastal Engineer FROM: Kendra L. Cope, M.S., Environmental Specialist SUBJECT: Sebastian Lionfish Fest is back! DATE: April 13, 2017 REQUEST It is requested that the following information be given formal consideration by the Board of County Commissioners during the regularly scheduled meeting on May 2, 2017. This is an announcement to inform the residents of Indian River County (IRC) about the upcoming 2nd annual Sebastian Lionfish Fest. As one of the county's largest conservation -based programs, this event aims to help residents and guests become aware of the rising lionfish invasion, encourages the removal of these fish from coastal habitats and introduces a new management tool through the process of consumption. Additional information can be found on the event website www.SebastianLionfishFest.com and on the event Facebook page: @Sebastian Lionfish Fest. BACKGROUND Biology and Invasion History - The red lionfish is a carnivorous fish species native to the Indo- Pacific Ocean. Commonly found as beautiful aquarium fish, the first lionfish was spotted off the coast of South Florida in the mid 1980's. Due to the lack of natural predators and their desire to eat a wide variety of prey options, following their introduction and subsequent population increases in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, the lionfish population is now growing exponentially. This growth is causing negative impacts on indigenous marine ecosystems and fish, and indirectly economic impacts across the state of Florida and now other locations on the east coast. As a way to mitigate these impacts, several Florida organizations, including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) promote and sponsor lionfish fishing tournaments and educational outreach events throughout the State. Event History — On January 12, 2016, the IRC commissioners made a motion to become a supporting sponsor of the inaugural Sebastian Lionfish Fest. County Coastal Division staff, with the help of other stakeholders, worked alongside the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce and Captain Hiram's to organize a fun and interactive event focused on the state's goals of removal and educational outreach, but added one more twist, a lionfish cook -off. Page 2 C:\Users\GRANIC-1\AppData\Local\Temp\BCL Technologies\easyPDF 7\@BCL@8C05235F\@BCL@8C05235F.docx P12