Scores of lionfish were scooped out of the sea as part of this year’s Heatwave tournament which was held in memory of ocean advocate Graham Maddocks.

Hunters young and old took to the water armed with spears and other fishing equipment, and collectively caught 53 of the invasive fish.

There were 24 participants in this year’s contest which took place on Saturday and Sunday, and culminated in a weigh-in on board the floating bar Calico Jack’s in Dockyard on Sunday afternoon.

Mr Maddocks, who passed away last year at the age of 58, was instrumental in the creation of the Ocean Support Foundation — a driving force in the development and creation of Bermuda’s national lionfish plan, and the inception of the Lionfish Task Force.

Mark Lewis won the overall tournament prize, the Red Leader trophy [named for Mr Maddocks’ dive shop nickname — a reference to a character in Star Wars].

Mr Lewis won the overall prize because he caught the largest fish and second highest number of fish, landing him with the most points. He also earned the Youth Award.

The winning team was Sharkbait comprising Mr Lewis, Rowdy Crockwell Laurent and Luke Foster.

The second-place team was Wave Warriors made up of Shelley Lewis and Stuart Joblin, and the third-place team was Spear Slingers comprising Rory Gorman and Don Lovell. Mr Lovell also won the Smallest Fish award.

Mr Crockwell-Laurent won the individual prize for Most Fish and Most Stomach Contents [in a lionfish] as part of team Sharkbait.

Money raised from the event was donated to the Bermuda Lionfish Task Force through the charitable organisation the Bermuda Zoological Society.

The task force highlights the threat of lionfish on native and endemic fish populations while collecting lionfish catch and sighting data.

A spokeswoman for the task force thanked all who were involved in organising the tournament, as well as sponsors and donors.

She said: “The task force was pleased to be able to use this event to highlight and honour the legacy of Graham who played a key role in recognising the extent of the lionfish invasion in Bermuda as a result of his deep technical diving work.

“Graham’s passion for Bermuda’s marine environment rallied the local community and he was instrumental in the process that led to the formation of the task force.”

Catherine Maddocks, Mr Maddocks’s daughter, was at the event handing out the trophies.

Jane Vickers, Mr Maddocks’s sister, said on behalf of her family: “We are extremely grateful to Chris Gauntlett, Stuart Joblin [Makin’ Waves] and all those involved in organising the Heatwave lionfish tournament in Graham's memory.

“From the organisers to those that donated prizes, we are so grateful that you would support this for Graham.

“Graham was instrumental in raising the alarm of the threat of the lionfish population and his infectious enthusiasm caught on.

“It was wonderful for his daughter Catherine to see what a difference her dad made and he would be so incredibly proud of her.

“I've had several people reach out to me to say how important Graham was in ocean conservation and we had one anonymous donor who came forward to donate a youth prize in Graham's honour.

“The youth are the future and it was wonderful to see young people from 14 to 21 taking part.”

Chris Gauntlett, the owner of Blue Water Divers which organised the tournament, said: “It was really a great event.

“Back in 2017 during America's Cup, Graham was piloting Calico Jack’s with his daughter Catherine in the wheelhouse. What a memory to be surrounded by.”

Organisers thanked supporters including Makin’ Waves and Joanna Pitt of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and sponsors including the Waterfront Group and the Hamilton Princess and Beach Resort.

Thanks also went to Carla Marquardt who designed and made the overall lionfish trophy, and to Kirk Roberts at Calico Jack's for providing the venue.