We are very proud to share that Dr. Christy Pattengill-Semmens, REEF Director of Science, and Dr. Brice Semmens, Director of California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations and associate professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, have been named Scuba Diving magazine’s April 2019 Sea Heroes! Sponsored by the watch brand Seiko, this award honors the extraordinary work done by scuba divers making a difference for our world’s oceans, reefs and marine life.
Christy and Brice were two of REEF's first interns in the summer of 1993. Today, they are the lead scientists for REEF’s Grouper Moon Project. Christy and Brice play an integral role in this highly successful effort that has brought together government, science, and fisheries to study and protect critically endangered Nassau Grouper in the Cayman Islands.
“Through our work on Grouper Moon, we have demonstrated that progressive management, action-oriented research, and community outreach can foster rapid recovery for the species. The challenge now is to replicate these successes throughout the range of the species — as more and more countries take action to protect Nassau grouper (e.g. Bahamas, Turks and Caicos), the likelihood of a Caribbean-wide conservation success story grows,” Christy and Brice explain.
Christy and Brice are featured in the April issue of Scuba Diving magazine. Both of them will receive a Seiko Prospex SRPA21 watch. In December 2019, judges will select one recipient as the Sea Hero of the Year, who will receive a $5,000 cash award from Seiko to further his or her work.
Click here for information, including a Q&A and video. Congratulations, Christy and Brice!