REEF members are at the heart of our grassroots marine conservation programs. Over 50,000 divers, snorkelers, students, and armchair naturalists stand behind our mission.

This month we highlight Kathleen Fenner. Kat has been a REEF member since 1999. She lives in British Columbia, Canada, and she is a member of the Pacific Advanced Assessment Team (a Level 5 Expert surveyor). She has also conducted surveys in the TWA and is a Level 3 Advanced surveyor there. To date, Kat has completed 178 surveys. Here’s what Kat had to say about REEF:

How did you find out about REEF?

I read about REEF years ago in a dive magazine and signed up. They shared my values of the ocean environment and citizen science. Over 10 years later I began doing surveys. At the Salish Sea Conference in 2011, employed by a NGO, I was able to dive with REEF and met Janna Nichols (REEF Outreach Coordinator). I was walked through my first survey. It helped that I had moved from the interior of British Columbia to Vancouver Island! I have completed many surveys since then. I’m so glad I met Janna who assisted me in getting started.

What inspires you to do REEF surveys?

I’m inspired to complete REEF surveys for personal benefit and for the future. I enjoy recording what I see, knowing I’ll be able to access that data at any time. It’s like having a super detailed log book always available. My awareness and knowledge base is increasing by doing surveys. Without thinking about it, I’m watching fish behavior and checking out fins and noticing many details. It’s exciting being able to see more when you are over 40! The future to me is my four grandchildren. I want them to have a beautiful ocean environment to enjoy and share with their children someday. I believe in what REEF does. The information in their data base can assist in better understanding and protection of our aquatic environment. Accurate information gathered by many is more beneficial than information gathered by a few.

What do you enjoy most about being a REEF member?

My favorite part of being a REEF member is access to free educational material. REEF gives you such great opportunities to learn. I love the fishinars, flash cards, quizzes and the great people that work for REEF that answer fishy questions. I’ve always been a bit of a fish geek but now I have an ongoing opportunity to learn and constantly increase my knowledge base.

Do you have any critter watching tips for others?

My tips for REEF members is to get an underwater camera, doesn’t have to be a great camera and get as many fishy ID books as you can. Having multiple resource books helps a lot with ID. More information assists in making a positive ID. A camera will let you look at the detail of a fish without it swimming away. Often I’ve made positive ID from a poor quality picture, but a picture that captured defining features.

What has been your favorite fish-find or underwater encounter?

Almost every dive is a fascinating fish encounter for me. I’m always seeing something new to me, whether it is a species or the species with eggs, or large schools, or juveniles but I almost always find something new. One fascinating encounter was the Y-Prickleback, positively identified from our low quality picture. It felt good to be able to report something that little information exists on.