August 20, 2026

Sanctuary Steward Spotlight

Meet our Steward Spotlight, Rachel Bowman! Known as the "Lionfish Huntress," Bowman has helped remove thousands of invasive lionfish from Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and founded Lionfish Invitational Inc. to support removal trips and research. In 2024, she was named the sanctuary's Volunteer of the Year.

Bowman also processes specimens, conducts dissections and tags fish so scientists can study lionfish movements and impacts on sanctuary reefs. Her efforts have supported numerous research projects while helping protect millions of native reef fish from predation. She also connects commercial fishermen, scientists and sanctuary managers, encouraging them to share information and work together.

Citizen Science in the Sanctuary Due to the remote location of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, sanctuary staff are limited in how often they can visit and collect data. Citizen scientists can help us fill in the gaps by telling us about their visits, including general observations about the health of the reefs and the types of wildlife they see there. Be a citizen scientist today!

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