Florida Fish Photography Crowdsourcing

The Florida Invasive Species Partnership has organised the “1st Nonnative Fish Catch, Click and Submit Contest.”

The idea is for fisherman to photograph (and release) nonnative fish they catch to document the the distribution of nonnative fish in Florida. This is a perfect example of crowdsourcing people to help with a project.

Here’s how they describe it:

As part of the National Invasive Species Awareness Week (Feb. 23 through 28, 2015), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is partnering with the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Everglades National Park, Florida Invasive Species Partnership, University of Georgia and Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area to host the first statewide Nonnative Fish Catch, Click and Submit Contest Feb. 21 through March 1, 2015!

The objectives of the Nonnative Fish Catch, Click and Submit Contest are to:

1. Document the distribution of nonnative fish in Florida using angler-caught fish that are photographed and reported to the FWC through the www.EDDMaps.org reporting system.
2. Increase public awareness of the potential negative impacts of releasing nonnative fish into Florida waters.
3. Encourage anglers to target nonnative species for consumption.

Thanks to GovLab for pointing out this story.