REEF's 16th annual Florida Keys Lionfish Derby will culminate on Sunday April 27, 2025 at the which will include a lionfish weigh-in and awards and conservation science and arts festival open to the public at the REEF campus.
Nature photographer, environmental educator, and Golden Hamlet REEF surveyor Jonathan Lavan will be going over some key identifying characteristics for Triggerfishes and Filefishes in the Tropical Western Atlantic.
Slender Filefish photo by Jonathan Lavan
Fiji is known as a hotspot for diving, with massive schools of pelagics such as Bigeye Trevally, Scad, and Barracuda, Gray Reef and Whitetip Reef Sharks, and unusual creatures like the Leaf Scorpionfish and Ornate Ghost Pipefish.
REEF Into the Blue Book Club will discuss our latest book selection, Underjungle by James Sturz.
This month we are excited to welcome Dr. Jen Loch, REEF Research Associate, who will discuss the SMILE project. Size matters – especially when it comes to fisheries management. A new collaborative project called SMILE (Size Matters: Innovative Length Estimates) is now underway in the Florida Keys to help collect information about fish lengths. These data are critical for fisheries management and ocean conservation.
Come join us on the REEF campus or virtually for our Pixels & Pizza Party! REEF needs your help labelling images to create Artificial Intelligence (AI) training datasets.
Whether you want to contribute to marine conservation, gain experience in training AI, getting volunteer hours, or just want to learn more about the SMILE project, all are welcome!
Just bring a personal laptop and we'll provide pizza, snacks, beverages, and tunes.
Click on the link below to register.
Has it been awhile since your last survey? Or maybe you’re just curious about REEF’s Volunteer Fish Survey Project and want to know how it works?
Create your own lionfish painting while enjoying refreshments and supporting marine conservation at the REEF Campus. No prior experience is needed. Local Florida Keys artist, Cassandra Clark of Jellyfish Daydreams, will provide step-by-step guidance to help you create a fun, colorful cartoon lionfish!
$45 per person includes all painting supplies, snacks and drinks, guided instructions, and a REEF wine or pint glass.
15 spaces max, sign up today!
Part of a volcanic and coral mountain range, Guanaja is within the world's second-largest barrier reef, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. Dive sites surround the entire island, so it's possible to find a site with calm water on nearly any day of the week.