Members of the coastguard came ashore at the West End yesterday with coolers full of one of the most invasive species in Bermuda waters.

Two teams of four soldiers each participated in the 2026 Heatwave lionfish tournament, which the Royal Bermuda Regiment is sponsoring for the first time.

Sergeant Nathan Frick, marine enforcement officer, said the RBR sponsored the event, as a way celebrate the organisation’s 60th anniversary along with Bermuda’s maritime heritage.

Mr Frick explained: “In a very general point of view, [lionfish] are as close of an invasion that we’re going to get and the regiment has always been trained to defend the island, so why not?”

He added that almost 50 teams are participating in the tournament this year, which started on Wednesday and concludes tomorrow.

The coastguard dived for lionfish miles off Bermuda’s coast for two hours and caught 12.

It marked an improvement over last year, when soldiers did not catch a single lionfish, which are believed to have been introduced to Atlantic waters in the 1990s.

Mr Frick said the invasive species eats mostly juvenile fish and shellfish, which are critical to Bermuda’s ecosystem, and females can lay up to 1,000 eggs a day.

He explained: “In terms of the support we have for people culling these things, I think we’re starting to see that we’re keeping it under control.

“We also seeing that native species of fish are starting to adapt to the presence of lionfish.”

Mr Frick has caught lionfish in local waters since 2008 and believes the sport gets easier after the first catch.

He explained: “Fitness is very important. You’re covering a lot of ground — I highly recommend people take a free-diving or Scuba course to improve their skills out in the water, because it is a dangerous sport.”

Registration for the tournament was $40. Proceeds benefit the Bermuda Lionfish Taskforce, which works to rein in the lionfish population around Bermuda’s shores.

Prize giving for the tournament will take place at Warwick Camp from 6pm to 9pm on Sunday.