Calling all Florida divers! Lionfish are a pesky bunch, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is asking for your help to control the species’ population.

On May 14-15, the FWC will be hosting its second annual Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day Tournament and Festival in various locations across the state. The event starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. both days.

Lionfish are a non-native, invasive species with a voracious appetite that can cause great damage to ocean ecosystems. Lionfish possess 18 venomous, needle-sharp spines and are quick reproducers, with some females able to birth more than 2 million eggs a year, or about 25,000 every four days.

Because lionfish have very few natural predators, divers have often been called upon to control their numbers. With removal, researchers have found that the negative effects lionfish have had on reefs and the underwater ecosystem can be reversed.

The main festival that will kick off the hunting weekend is in Pensacola at Plaza de Luna. Attendees will be able to see celebrity chefs whip up the daily catch and even get to enjoy lionfish dishes as well. More than 40 arts, diving and conservation vendors will be present, as well as kid-friendly games.

Even if you can’t make it to the panhandle, the FWC is encouraging divers to remove as many lionfish as possible that weekend, anywhere in Florida. Divers can report the lionfish they remove at MyFWC.com/Lionfish and hashtag pictures of their conquests with #FWCLionfish on Twitter or Instagram.

Last year, Reef Rangers reported that divers removed 2,975 lionfish from Florida waters.

Other Florida cities hosting a lionfish removal festival include Panama City, Sebastian, Key Largo, Jacksonville and St. Petersburg. Find a festival near you at ReefRangers.com.

For more information and to register for the tournament, visit the Gulf Coast Lionfish Coalition.