2026 St. Croix Lionfish Derby FAQ/Event Info
Saturday, May 16th 2026
When is the Derby?
When is the Captain's Meeting?
Where is the Captain's Meeting?
Is the Captain's Meeting mandatory?
When is the Awards Ceremony?
Do I need to register?
How do I register?
What is the cost?
Do I need to sign a waiver?
How can I pay my registration fee?
What are the prizes?
What are the rules?
Can I keep my catch?
Where is the weigh station?
When do the weigh stations close?
What if I want to free dive?
How do I know if I am in a protected area?
Can we have a Boat Captain / Surface Support that stays topside the entire derby and does not hunt?
Can we have other spectators on the boat?
Will there be a raffle?
Can I win first, second and third prize in a single category?
Does that mean I can win in multiple categories?
What if I have more questions?
- Hunting takes place on Saturday May 16th, starting at 6am.
When is the Captain's Meeting?
- The Captain's Meeting will take place on Friday June 19th at 6pm AST.
Where is the Captain's Meeting?
- The captains meeting will be held at the Blue Salt Divers in Christiansted. Google and Apple maps have a location pin for easy navigation. Please contact Matthew at 340-208-0738 if you have any questions.
Is the Captain's Meeting mandatory?
- Yes, the designated team captain is required to attend. For other members of the team, the meeting is optional, but recommended to ensure all the paperwork is in order. If one member of your team does not sign a waiver, they will not be allowed to participate in the 2026 STX Lionfish Derby.
When is the Awards Ceremony?
- Saturday, May 16th after the weighing is complete at both the Frederiksted and Christiansted Weigh Stations.
Do I need to register?
- Yes, registration can be completed here.
How do I register?
- Use the registration form above, and complete the information to register your team.
- Ensure you have your team members names, a designated team captain, and all dive certification numbers handy, they will need to be populated in the waiver.
What is the cost?
- $50 per hunter if registering by April 21st, $60 per hunter if registering by May 7th, and $75 per hunter if registering between May 7th and the captains meeting on May 15th. Each person will receive a SPF 50 long sleeve sun shirt with their registration. These will be distributed at the Captain's Meeting.
Do I need to sign a waiver?
- Yes. Each member of your team must complete a waiver, as well as any spectators that will be on the boat.
- Waivers can be filled out and submitted here.
How can I pay my registration fee?
- Cash and Credit Cards will be accepted at the Captain's Meeting on Friday.
- Venmo @CORE-Foundation | Please include your team name in the memo.
- Paypal: paypal.me/COREUSVI | Please include your team name in the memo.
What are the prizes?
- Please review the prize page to find to most up to date prize information.
What are the rules?
- Please review the rules page to familiarize yourself with the smaller details.
Can I keep my catch?
- Yes. During registration, if you want to keep your catch, please designate your intention with the radio button. After the event organizers have weighed and measured your catch, you are free to take it home in your own coolers. We will collect all of the data and ensure it is accounted to your team for prize awards.
Where is the weigh station?
- On the boardwalk in front of Blue Salt Divers, and inside the courtyard behind SCUBA's Frederiksted location.
When do the weigh stations close?
- Weigh stations will close at 2pm. Please have your catch in before the cutoff.
What if I want to free dive?
- Free diving is allowed within the rules of the 2026 STX Lionfish Derby. You will still be required to fill out a waiver and pay the registration fee.
How do I know if I am in a protected area?
- Please use this map to determine where VI NPS Waters begin and end.
- EEMP, and Salt River Bay are also off limits for hunting, Please visit DPNR's website here and scroll to page 10 for the map.
Can we have a Boat Captain / Surface Support that stays topside the entire derby and does not hunt?
- Yes, they will be considered a spectator of the event and will still need to register and sign a waiver. Please include their information during team registration. They do not need to pay for the registration fee, but also will not be entitled to an event sun shirt. Shirts will be available to purchase.
Can we have other spectators on the boat?
- Yes, you may have additional spectators on the boat who are not participating in the hunt. They will required to complete the waiver.
Will there be a raffle?
- Yes. The raffle will take place at the awards ceremony on Saturday. There will be a raffle to give away all of our donated physical prizes that are not already listed as a category prize.. No entry is necessary, as all registered and paid participants in the derby will be eligible for the raffle prize. The names of all of the registered lionfish hunters will be written onto a slip of paper, placed into a hat, and drawn to reveal the winner.
- You must be present to win.
- Additional prizes may be added to the raffle on an ongoing basis.
Can I win first, second and third prize in a single category?
- No. Per the tournament rules, each team is eligible to enter one fish in the Smallest category, one fish into the Largest category, and their total catch number will be used to determine their place for the Most category. The two fish submitted to Largest and Smallest will be counted in the Most entry.
Does that mean I can win in multiple categories?
- Yes! If you have the most, the largest, and the smallest fish, you will be taking home three prizes.
What if I have more questions?
- Please email Matthew at [email protected] and he will be happy to assist you and your questions about the derby!