Welcome to the Florida Keys, a tropical archipelago that’s house to 82,000 residents, and welcomes thousands and thousands of holiday makers a 12 months. And all of it begins at Mile Marker 107, the start of Key Largo, the northernmost island. The Keys are house to some 30 sport fish species, and Key Largo has its justifiable share. Snook might be present in mangrove cuts and creeks with strong tidal move. Redfish stalk the shorelines, their noticed tail a useless giveaway. Tarpon migrate into the Keys within the spring, kicking off a fishing custom that’s match for a king. One much less fascinating species within the Keys is the lionfish. In 2010, REEF launched its first lionfish derby within the Florida Keys. On the very first derby in Key Largo, 534 lionfish have been eliminated. Within the 14 years since, greater than 14,000 lionfish have been eradicated, together with 1,527 on the 2024 derby. Conservation requires give and take: the giving of time, vitality and assets, and the taking of the right invader.