Author: Paul Humann, REEF Co-Founder and President
There is one week left to DOUBLE YOUR DONATION, and we need $13,300 to reach our goal! Help REEF’s important marine conservation programs by donating to the largest matching campaign in our history. Please donate online today.
If you have already donated this season, thank you! Your contribution will help REEF support high quality citizen science data that are making a difference in our understanding of the oceans. With these discoveries come inspiration to educate communities around the world about the importance of marine conservation.
REEF is confident that with your help, we can secure $45,000 of matching funding offered by the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation and the Henry Foundation. Please take this chance to donate today and double your dollars! Donate securely online, or call us at 305-852-0030 to donate over the phone. You can also mail your donation to REEF, PO Box 370246, Key Largo, FL 33037.
Author: Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D., REEF Director of Science
Every month, scientists, government agencies, and other groups request raw data from REEF’s Fish Survey Project database. Here is a sampling of who has asked for REEF data recently and what they are using it for:
- Scientists from NOAA’s Office of Protected Resources are using REEF data to evaluate populations of seabass and grouper in the Caribbean.
- A scientist from the University of Washington School of Marine and Environmental Affairs is using REEF data on fishes and invertebrates to evaluate MPAs in the Puget Sound.
- A professor from California State San Luis Obispo is using REEF data to evaluate populations of three large parrotfish species in the Caribbean (Blue, Midnight, Rainbow).
Author: Sasha Medlen, REEF Membership Coordinator
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 Janet Eyre. Janet has been a REEF member since 2002, and has conducted 1,125 surveys. She is on the Advanced Assessment Team as an Expert Surveyor in four of REEF’s regions! Janet happily describes herself as a true fish nerd, and she has taken a lead role in assisting with REEF’s expansions to the tropical western Pacific. Here's what Janet had to say about REEF:
When and how did you first volunteer with REEF or become a REEF member?
A letter from REEF in 2001 was my first exposure to the organization. The letter mentioned the Advanced Assessment Team (AAT) Expert Surveyor program and I remember thinking “wow, that would be cool to dive, count fish, AND do something good for the planet all at the same time.” So, on my next dive trips to the Caribbean in 2002 and 2003, with Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas in hand, I started doing REEF surveys. On my first REEF Field Survey Trip, to Belize in 2003, I tested into the Caribbean AAT. I also started doing surveys in Hawaii, and ended up as an Expert AAT surveyor there in 2004. I have conducted the majority of my surveys on the Kona Coast of the Big Island (Hawaii) where I am lucky to be able to dive with a group of like-minded friends and professionals at Jack’s Diving Locker. We all love diving deep as well as bobbing around in the surge zone in the search for as many species as possible on every dive.
Do you have a favorite REEF highlight or experience to share?
Even before REEF officially started the Survey Project in the South Pacific, I had been sending in the species lists from my Pacific trips. Now that the South Pacific is a “REEF Zone,” I have attained the top surveyor status in that region. The highlight of my REEF survey “career” came on the Field Survey Trip to Fiji in May 2013 when I counted 233 species on one dive! What a rush that was! It was also on that trip that I did my 1,000th REEF survey, so it was a double- milestone trip.
What inspires you to complete REEF surveys?
I come by my “fish nerdiness” honestly – my parents and grandparents were all birders. I never got into that, but once I started diving I was fascinated by identifying the fish, which I realize is basically underwater birding. I can (and do) spend hours just “reading” fish ID books.
Surveying for REEF is a passion for me because it satisfies me on several different fronts – (1) challenging me to find as many fish on a dive as I can, (2) giving me a reason and the means to learn to identify more fish, (3) doing something good for the planet, and (4) making each and every dive a new adventure (which gets harder and harder to do after 1,700 dives).
Do you have a favorite fish find or a fish quest?
One of my favorite fish is the Mandarinfish – its color pattern is just so incredible and gorgeous! I get a total charge out of seeing any “new-to-me” species but there are some fish I really would like to see – Psychedelic Frogfish, Gurnard Lionfish, Helfrich’s Dartfish, and Mola Mola (Sunfish) are at the top of that list.
Author: Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D., REEF Director of Science
We are excited to announce a new expansion of the Volunteer Fish Survey Project to the eastern Atlantic, beginning with a new program in the Azores. REEF's Director of Science, Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D., spent time in the islands earlier this summer developing new survey and training materials. This Portuguese archipelago is the northern extent of a bioregion known as Macaronesia, which also includes Madeira, the Canary Islands, and the Cape Verde Islands. The underwater habitat features volcanic rocky reefs and common fish species include colorful wrasses, damselfish, sea breams, and pelagic rays.
The new REEF program will include the standard fish survey protocol as well as an invertebrate and algae monitoring component. The expansion is in collaboration with the local government agency, Direção Regional dos Assuntos do Mar, as well as the University of the Azores, Observatório do Mar dos Açores, and Parques Naturais de Ilha. We expect to offiically launch the new region later this year.
Author: REEF Staff
We are pleased to announce the 2015 REEF Field Survey Trip Schedule. We have an exciting lineup of destinations planned and we hope you will join us. These trips offer a great introduction to fish identification for novice fishwatchers, and are a fun way for experienced surveyors to build their life list while interacting with fellow fishwatchers. We are also offering two of the ever-popular Invasive Lionfish Research Expeditions. REEF staff, board members, and other REEF experts lead these trips, and each features daily classroom seminars and a full diving schedule.
To find out more or to book your space, contact us at trips@REEF.org or call 305-588-5869. Please note the new email and phone number - beginning with these 2015 trips, we are handling all Field Survey inquiries and bookings through REEF Headquarters. Visit www.REEF.org/trips to see the complete schedule, package details, trip leader bios, trip policies, and more. We hope you will join us!
2015 REEF Field Survey Schedule
Feb 28 - Mar 7 -- Hawaii -- Kona Aggressor II Liveaboard, Led by Dr. Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Details
Mar 14 - 21 -- Grand Cayman -- Wall to Wall Diving and Comfort Suites, Led by Jonathan Lavan, Details
May 2 - 12 and May 12 - 19 -- Fiji -- NAI'A Livaboard, Led by Dr. Chrisy Pattengill-Semmens and Dr. Brice Semmens, Wk 1 Details, Wk 2 Details
May 9 - 16 -- Bahamas Invasive Lionfish Control Study -- Explorer II Liveaboard, Led by Lad Akins and Peter Hughes, Details
Jun 13 - 20 -- Roatan -- Anthony's Key Resort, Led by Ned and Anna DeLoach, Details
Jul 11 - 18 -- Grand Turk -- Oasis Divers & Osprey Beach Hotel, Led by Paul Humann, Details
Aug 1 - 8 -- Bonaire -- Buddy Dive, Led by Dr. Christy Pattengill-Semmens and Dr. Brice Semmens, Details
Aug 22 - 29 -- Curacao Invasive Lionfish Control Study -- GO WEST Diving & Kura Hulanda Lodge, Led by Lad Akins and Peter Hughes, Details
Sep 19 - 26 -- Bahamas -- Aqua Cat Liveaboard, Led by Heather George, Details
Nov 1 - 5 -- Catalina Island -- Scuba Luv & Pavilion Hotel, Led by Janna Nichols, Details
Dec 5 - 12 -- Cozumel -- Chili Charters & Safari Inn or Casa Mexicana, Led by Tracey Griffin, Details
