The purpose of these rule amendments is to allow the Executive Director or his designee to issue permits to tournaments or other approved organized events for the purposes of harvesting lionfish or other non-native invasive species with spearfishing gears in areas where spearing is otherwise prohibited. Spearfishing is among the most effective means of removing invasive lionfish and area-specific prohibitions on spearfishing limit the public’s ability to remove lionfish from those locations. The effect of the rule amendments would be the creation of a permitting process that would allow participants in authorized tournaments or events to use spearfishing gears to harvest lionfish or other non-native invasive species in areas where spearing is otherwise prohibited.