Author: Janna Nichols, Citizen Science Program Manager
Water temperatures were 55F. Nevertheless, members of the Pacific Northwest REEF Advanced Assessment Team (AAT) jumped off a perfectly good boat last month to count fish and invertebrate populations, all in the name of citizen science and fun! Expert Level surveyors (Levels 4 and 5) assisted with the annual Salish Sea monitoring project. This year’s effort was focused in the southern Salish Sea - South Puget Sound in Washington. The project, now in its 11th year, has varied in location from the San Juan Islands of Washington State, to the Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Canada, to the Southern Puget Sound area.
During the three-day project, 13 REEF volunteer divers monitored select sites of varying habitat types, including walls, rocky reefs, clay and sandstone areas, and kelp beds throughout southern Puget Sound, conducting 35 surveys. Each survey was about an hour long. You can view the survey data summary report here.
This long-term monitoring project helps ensure data are available to document shifts and changes in populations and community structure as well as catalog biological diversity. REEF data from the Pacific Northwest region have been used in numerous scientific publications and have been incorporated in several policy decisions on species including rockfish, octopus, and seastars. Visit www.REEF.org/db/publications to see all publications that include REEF data.
Thank you to the REEF Pacific Northwest Advanced Assessment Team members who volunteered their time to make this project possible, including Doug Miller, Randall Tyle, Greg Jensen, Lorne Curran, David Todd, Jackie Myers, Rhoda Green, Carol Cline, Gregg Cline, Edgar Graudins, Joe Mangiafico, Tabitha Jacobs-Mangiafico and Don Noviello. We also want to say a big thank you to Rick and Jackie Myers of Bandito Charters, a REEF Conservation Partner in Tacoma, Washington, who provided the charter, excellent field support, hot soup, and friendly assistance.
Author: Mead Krówka, Education Coordinator
In 2024, REEF’s education initiatives have made a profound impact, from raising awareness about marine conservation to engaging communities in protecting ocean life. Here's a look at how REEF education programs made an impact this year:
• 162 Educational Events: From virtual to in person events, in the classroom and under the waves, our education team engaged learners of all ages through Discovery Programs, Expeditions, Virtual Field Trips, Virtual Case Studies, a seminar series, classroom visits, workshops, Conservation Partner events, and more!
• 22 Guided Virtual Programs for students in grades 3-12, including both Virtual Field Trips and Virtual Case Studies. These programs included a meeting with a REEF team member to allow for a more in-depth experience.
• 23 Oceans for All Events: The Oceans for All Initiative supports scholarships, programming, and outreach activities to provide experiences and boost awareness of marine conservation opportunities for equity-deserving groups and those with financial need. These events are provided at no cost to the participants. You can learn more about the REEF Oceans for All Initiative here.
• More than 5,400 individuals engaged, from elementary students to senior citizens.
We also welcomed some fantastic new staff members to the education team this year! REEF could not provide the hands-on experiences and field-based opportunities without our hardworking staff, interns, and fellows. Visit this page to learn more about our team. To learn more about REEF Ocean Explorers Education Programs, visit www.REEF.org/explorers or check out the "Education" tab on our website.
Author: The REEF Team
You can give the gift of healthy oceans by supporting REEF! Thanks to your support, we are able to protect marine habitats and species, educate countless individuals, and preserve marine biodiversity worldwide. We're so grateful to everyone who has made a donation this winter. If you have not yet donated, please consider contributing to REEF today. Your year-end gift will help set us on a path for success in 2025 and beyond.
To show our gratitude, gifts of $250 or more this winter will receive a stunning, limited-edition print of an Ornate Ghost Pipefish, photographed by REEF Co-Founder Paul Humann. To honor Paul's memory, we’re continuing the tradition of sharing one of his marine life photographs as a special gift for our donors. This print celebrates your commitment to ocean conservation and Paul's legacy. Visit www.REEF.org/donate to make a gift today. We hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful holiday season, and thank you for supporting REEF!
Author: Alli Candelmo, Ph.D., Director of Conservation Science
This winter, REEF has an opportunity for you to involved in ocean conservation from the comfort of your home! We are seeking remote, dedicated volunteers to help create artificial intelligence (AI) training datasets for two collaborative, technology-based citizen science projects, the SMILE project and Grouper Spotter. You can read more about both of these projects below. Volunteers are needed to help build training datasets that are essential for finalizing the AI workflow for these projects, including automated laser detection, fish boxing and outlining, and fish identification. This can be done without leaving your home, and no specialized technology or fish identification skills are required to participate. Visit this page to learn more and submit the form at the bottom of the webpage to apply.
About SMILE and Grouper Spotter
A new collaborative project called SMILE (Size Matters: Innovative Length Estimates) is underway in the Florida Keys to collect information about fish lengths. Using laser-mounted cameras, scuba divers photograph select fish species, and then an AI-driven analysis extracts length measurements from the photos. These data are important for fisheries management of ecologically and economically important species. SMILE is funded through NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP), and includes scientist from REEF, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s (SAFMC) Citizen Science Program, the Semmens Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanagraphy, Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA), Axiom Data Science, and University of California San Diego (UCSD) Engineers for Exploration, (E4E).
Groupers are a highly vulnerable species known for forming dense spawning aggregations that make them easy targets for fisheries. Grouper Spotter uses AI to automate photo identification, allowing divers to document and track individual groupers based on their unique patterns. These data will allow scientists to track fish movements and analyze populations of vulnerable grouper species. In addition, when paired with length measurement technology like the SMILE project, growth of individuals can be estimated.
Author: Amy Lee, Communications Manager
REEF members are the heart of our grassroots marine conservation programs. A diverse community of divers, snorkelers, and ocean enthusiasts support our mission to conserve marine environments worldwide.
This month we highlight Max Arseneault, a REEF member who lives in California. He joined REEF in 2021 and has conducted more than 140 surveys in the US/Canada Pacific Coast (PAC) region, where he is a Level 3 surveyor! We are proud to feature Max this month, and are glad that he is part of REEF.
When and how did you first volunteer with REEF or become a REEF member? How did you first hear about REEF?
I first got involved with REEF after attending one of Herb Gruenhagen’s free fish and invertebrate ID classes in San Diego. I’ve always enjoyed animals, and it’s incredibly satisfying to know and identify every fish I come across during a dive.
In your opinion, what is the most important aspect of REEF’s projects and programs?
Completing REEF surveys has given me a deep appreciation for the ocean's finiteness. You start to notice specific individuals, like that one Pacific Angel Shark or those Kelp Bass, and realize that the ocean doesn’t just infinitely spawn fish. This awareness makes you much more cognizant of your impact when interacting with these environments. Every fish that you remove is a fish that's never coming back.
What is your favorite fish or marine invertebrate? Why is it your favorite?
I have a penchant for Psychedelic Wrasse, and really all wrasse species. It's fun to search for the usual three colorations. I love how its initial phase has dense arrays of dots that form a sort of optical illusion with their spacing. The terminal phase is equally interesting. It’s like the initial phase just dunked its head into a bucket of orange honey and iridescent blue sprinkles.
What is your most memorable fish find and why? Is there a fish (or marine invertebrate) you haven’t seen yet diving, but would like to?
One of my most memorable fish finds was a Nursehound (Scyliorhinus stellaris), a type of catshark, in Napoli, Italy. It was my deepest deco dive to date, and after several days of unsuccessfully searching for it, finding it hiding in a cave at 165 feet was the highlight of the trip, which was entirely planned around this goal. My life goal is to photograph every shark species possible, and seeing deep sea species that occasionally come shallower, like the Angular Roughshark and the Bluntnose Sixgill Shark, would be incredible.
Author: Stacey Henderson, Field Survey Trips Program Manager
With a new year approaching, it's a great time to plan your next dive or snorkel vacation, and we hope you'll join us on a REEF Field Survey Trip! There are some spaces available on upcoming REEF Trips in 2025 and 2026, including an amazing 10-night one-way charter in the Philippines, which includes the chance to dive the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This incredible trip is happening on June 28-July 8, 2026, and you don't want to miss it! Visit this page for more information about the trip. There are also a couple spots left on our 2026 trips to Misool, Indonesia and the Midriff Islands in the northern Sea of Cortez, Mexico. We're currently working on the full 2026 trip schedule, which will be released in spring 2025.
REEF Field Survey Trips are eco-vacations led by marine life experts. Each trip features daily dives and fish ID classes for both beginners and experienced surveyors. To book your space on a REEF Trip, email trips@REEF.org. Check out some of our 2025 trips with open space below. We hope to "sea" you underwater soon!
Maldives: Jan. 12-22, 2025 -- More information here.
Belize: Feb. 15-22, 2025 -- More information here.
Guanaja: March 22-29, 2025 -- More information here.
Nevis: May 17-24, 2025 -- More information here.
Costa Rica: June 21-28, 2025 -- More information here.
Yap: June 21 - July 2, 2025 -- More information here.
Author: The REEF Team
The holidays are here, and if you need to find a gift for the ocean lover in your life, check out the new merchandise we recently added to the REEF online store, including lightweight zip-up hoodies and hats with our new logo. Be sure to check out www.REEF.org/store to see these items as well as plenty of other swag. We also have educational materials, books, and survey gear, all of which make great gifts for divers, snorkelers, and marine life enthusiasts. We suggest placing your order early to allow time for shipping during the holidays.
Author: The REEF Team
2024 is winding down, and if you have any REEF surveys that you haven't yet entered, now is a great time to get them submitted so you can start off 2025 with a fresh "slate!" The marine life information collected by REEF volunteers is used by scientists and researchers to learn more about our oceans and how to best protect them. Each survey you conduct as a citizen scientist can help make a difference, but these data must be submitted to the REEF database. If you happen to have surveys from prior to this year, you'll be glad to know that REEF surveys never expire, so it is never too late to submit your survey data, no matter how old your surveys may be. Thank you to everyone who has participated in the Volunteer Fish Survey Project this year, and we look forward to seeing more surveys from you in the future!
Author: The REEF Team
Meet our festive December Fish of the Month, the Candycane Pygmygoby, Trimma cana!
Survey Regions: The Candycane Pygmygoby is found throughout the tropical Pacific, including Indonesia, the Philippines, and Micronesia, part of REEF's Central Indo-Pacific (CIP) region. Click here to see a distribution for this species in the REEF database.
Size: They are quite small and grow to about 1.25 inches in length.
Identifying Features: They have a white or light gray body with bright red bars resembling candy stripes.
Fun Facts: Candycane Pygmygobies perch on the surface of hard corals. They can be found alone or in groups, and can be locally abundant. Although they are only an inch long, they their eye-catching stripes makes them easier to spot than other tiny gobies!
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for our next Fish of the Month.
Photo by Carol Cox.
