Putting it to Work: Who's Using REEF Data, January 2018

Every month, scientists, government agencies, and other groups request raw data from REEF’s Volunteer Fish Survey Project database. Recent examples of data requests and uses include:

- A graduate student at Simon Fraser University is using REEF data from The Bahamas and Belize to research the impact of the lionfish invasion on two species of native fishes that are typically prey for the voracious invader - Sharpnose Puffer and Bluehead Wrasse.

- A graduate student at Florida State University is using REEF data to evaluate patterns of species richness on natural and artificial reefs in Florida.

- An Endangered Species Act Biologist from NOAA is using the sea turtle sightings data from the REEF database to evaluate patterns in ares of the Atlantic and Caribbean.

- A graduate student from Scripps Institute of Oceanography is using REEF data in the western Atlantic to evaluate populations of grouper.

- A student at University of Hawaii Hilo is using REEF data to evaluate local populations of butterflyfish, surgeonfish, and parrotfishes.

- A graduate student from University of Windsor and visiting scholar at Florida Gulf Coast University are using REEF data to research patterns of population trends along the West Florida Shelf.

- A researcher from the University of the West Indies (Barbados) is using REEF data to evaluate Caribbean-wide patterns in reef fish community composition and structure.

To see a complete list of all scientific publications that have included REEF data and projects, visit www.REEF.org/db/publications.