Author: Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D., Co-Executive Director: Science & Engagement
This year's Grouper Moon Project field season contained some unexpected surprises and raised a few questions, including "where are the fish?" Nassau Grouper normally spawn around the first winter full moon, when water temperatures drop. This is typically in late January or early February, but when the full moon falls in the middle of the months, this creates a “split moon” effect, where spawning often occurs in both months. This year was a "split moon" year, so our team of Grouper Moon Project researchers gathered in the Cayman Islands in both January and February to study the local Nassau Grouper spawning aggregations. After 24 years, we thought we knew what to expect, but the fish had other ideas! For the first time since we began monitoring the spawning site in 2001, the fish were not aggregating at their usual location on the west end of Little Cayman. Most of the estimated 9,000 resident Nassau Grouper evaded us over the ten-day field season in February, despite our best efforts to locate them.
We know that the grouper were somewhere out there, because they were not on their home reefs. This was a great reminder that nature can be unpredictable, and despite how much we think we know, science always contains some surprises! Although there was a lack of grouper at the spawning site this year, we accomplished plenty of data collection and research! Read on to learn about some of our work, including using artificial intelligence to recognize fish faces, eDNA, documenting spawning of other species, and acoustic tracking. We also continued our innovative education program, which involves over a dozen Cayman Islands classrooms and schools tuning in to several live-from-the-field chats, including two that are live-streamed from underwater! Check out the recordings of those sessions on our YouTube channel.
Fish Faces: Did you know that it's possible to identify Nassau Grouper through facial recognition - the same technology that we use to unlock our smartphones? They have unique body markings, like human fingerprints, that help distinguish individuals. By documenting these patterns, we can track their populations and monitor individuals over time. For the fish that were at the aggregation site (about 3,000 in January and about 500 in February), we used GoPro cameras to capture as many individuals as possible. These images were then put through our AI platform called Grouper Spotter. We'll be sharing more about this innovative tool later this year.
eDNA: As we first reported last year, REEF has been collaborating with scientists from Scripps Oceanography to pair our Volunteer Fish Survey Project method with passive collection of eDNA (or environmental DNA - little bits of scales and mucus and other biological matter that is floating around in the ocean, sloughed off fish and other animals and plants). Our Grouper Moon field team tested out the latest prototype of the filter, nicknamed the "SQUID". This particular application will help calibrate eDNA numbers with known numbers of Nassau Grouper in the water. Click here to read more about early work on this project.
A Special Place: Like many spawning aggregation sites, the west end of Little Cayman isn't just important for Nassau Grouper, it's where over 20 other species of fish gather to aggregate and reproduce. Even though our team didn't document any Nassau Grouper spawning this year, we were lucky enough to see spawning of Tiger Grouper and Dog Snapper. In an effort to better understand the ecology of Tiger Grouper, we collected fertilized eggs from their spawning bursts over several evenings.
Always Listening: To better monitor the movements and whereabouts of Nassau Grouper around Little Cayman, we re-installed a hydrophone array around the island. This "net" of listening stations will keep track of Nassau Grouper that we have acoustically tagged with small internal pinger tags as they move around the island.
We are grateful to our collaborators at the Cayman Islands Department of Environment for handling all of the on-water logistics and for their research assistance, and to the businesses and residents of Little Cayman, especially Peter Hillenbrand, Southern Cross Club, Little Cayman Beach Resort, and Reef Divers. The Grouper Moon Project is a conservation science partnership between REEF and Cayman Islands Department of Environment, with The Semmens Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Heppell Lab at Oregon State University. Together with our partners, REEF has been working for more than two decades to protect and study Nassau Grouper. Learn more about this success story at www.REEF.org/groupermoonproject.
Author: Amy Lee, Communications Manager
The wait is almost over! On June 7-8, we invite you to celebrate the grand opening of the Ocean Exploration Center, a state-of-the-art hub dedicated to marine conservation, research, and citizen science, located at the REEF Campus in Key Largo, FL. It will bring together ocean enthusiasts, scientists, educators, REEF members, and the local community to discover the wonders of our ocean. We can't wait for visitors to explore the brand-new Center and experience all that it has to offer. The grand opening will feature guided tours, hands-on activities, and special demonstrations showcasing cutting-edge marine research and conservation efforts. Families, students, and ocean lovers of all ages are welcome! Be sure to save the date and plan to join us to celebrate Wold Ocean Day this June in Key Largo. See all the details at www.REEF.org/oecgrandopening.
Author: Stacey Henderson, Field Survey Trips Program Manager
We have just released the 2026 REEF Field Survey Trips schedule, along with a few trips in 2027, and we hope you will join us on a future trip! We have plenty of exciting destinations planned. REEF Trips are led by marine life experts, and include diving, fish ID classes, and fun with friends. Divers, snorkelers, and families are welcome on REEF Trips. To find out more or book your space, email trips@REEF.org. We'll send you an invoice to submit a deposit to secure your space. For individual trip details and more info, visit the links below or check out www.REEF.org/trips. REEF Trips fill up fast, so don’t wait to grab a spot on your favorite destination.
2026 REEF Field Survey Trips
February TBD -- Bequia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines - Dive Bequia and Plantation House - Led by Mead Krowka - Details coming soon
April 4-11 -- Cayman Brac - Cayman Brac Beach Resort - Led by Noa Parks and Jill Kuehnert - Click here for trip details
April 18-28 -- Fiji - NAI'A Liveaboard - Led by Christy Semmens - Click here for trip details
May 8-17 -- Misool, Indonesia - Misool Eco Resort -- Led by Stacey Henderson - Click here for trip details
May 9-16 -- St. Eustatius - Scubaqua --- Led by Alli Candelmo -- Click here for trip details
June 27-July 4 -- Cuba - Jardines Avalon III Liveaboard - Led by Sierra Barkdoll and Michaela Peterson - Click here for trip details
June 28-July 8 -- Tubbataha and Visayas, Philippines - Philippines Aggressor Liveaboard - Led by Amy Lee - Click here for trip details
July 11-18 -- Bonaire - Buddy Dive Resort - Led by Hilary Penner and Martha Klitzkie - Click here for trip details
August 1-8 -- Tobago - Tobago Dive Experience and Manta Suites - Led by Stacey Henderson - Click here for trip details
August TBD -- Croatia - Led by Christy and Brice Semmens - Details coming soon
September 12-19 -- Sea of Cortez - Rocio del Mar Liveaboard - Led by Stacey Henderson - Sold out, waitlist available - Click here for trip details
September 28-October 9-- Northern Sulawesi, Indonesia - Passport to Paradise: 3 Resorts, 11 Nights! - Led by Amy Lee - Click here for trip details
October TBD -- Andros Island, Bahamas - Small Hope Bay Lodge - Led by Carolyn Corley and Shelby Thomas - Details coming soon
October 25-November 5 -- Raja Ampat, Indonesia - Dewi Nusantara Liveaboard - Led by Christy and Brice Semmens - Sold out, waitlist available - Click here for trip details
December 5-12 -- Cozumel -- Chili Charters - Led by Tracey Griffin - Click here for trip details
2027 REEF Field Survey Trips Preview
January 17-27, 2027 -- Palau - Palau Aggressor II Liveaboard -- Click here for trip details
April 7-17, 2027 -- Solomon Islands - Bilikiki Liveaboard - Led by Stacey Henderson - Click here for trip details
May 11-23, 2027 -- Socorro and Clarion Islands - Quino del Mar Liveaboard - Led by Amy Lee - Click here for trip details
November 4-18, 2027 -- Great Barrier Reef, Australia - Spirit of Freedom Liveaboard - Led by Christy and Brice Semmens - Click here for trip details
Can't wait until next year? The following 2025 REEF Field Survey Trips have limited space remaining:
May 17-24, 2025 -- Nevis - Oualie Beach Resort - Led by Stacey Henderson -- Click here for trip details
August 16-23, 2025 -- El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain - Buceo El Bajon -- Led by Stacey Henderson - Click here for trip details
November 1-8, 2025 -- Curacao - LionsDive Beach Resort and Ocean Encounters -- Led by Carolyn Corley - Click here for trip details
Author: Amy Lee, Communications Manager
We are honored to announce Ed Gullekson as our 2024 REEF Volunteer of the Year! Ed’s dedication to marine conservation, commitment to citizen science, and his willingness to help engage others in REEF’s mission make him a truly outstanding REEF member.
Ed first joined REEF in 2009 and became an active surveyor in 2015. Since then, he has conducted 1,204 fish surveys across multiple regions, making him a member of REEF's Golden Hamlet Club. He has conducted more than 1,100 surveys in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), where he is an Expert Level surveyor. He has also contributed valuable survey data in both the Tropical Western Atlantic (TWA) and Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) regions.
In 2018, Ed joined in the REEF Field Survey Trip to Key Largo in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Volunteer Fish Survey Project. He has also been an integral part of REEF's Advanced Assessment Team (AAT) efforts in the Pacific Northwest, participating in key monitoring projects, including the 2016 and 2018 San Juan Islands assessments, the 2019 Hornby Island project, and more recent surveys in South Puget Sound. His contributions have strengthened REEF’s long-term data collection efforts, helping scientists and marine managers understand changes in fish populations over time.
Ed also serves as an ambassador by sharing REEF's mission and encouraging others to become involved. As a longtime member of the Boeing Seahorses dive club, he has introduced fellow divers to REEF’s programs, encouraging them to get involved in citizen science. He has also supported REEF at dive shows, helping to spread awareness about marine conservation and the power of data collection.
Please join us in celebrating Ed as 2024 REEF Volunteer of the Year! To read more about Ed, check out his Faces of REEF profile here and his Golden Hamlet Club profile here. Click here to see all past REEF Volunteers of the Year.
Author: Shelby Thomas, Engagement Coordinator
Spring is almost here, and this season brings a flurry of education activity! We are excited to welcome new and returning groups to the REEF Campus in Key Largo for our Ocean Explorers Education Programs! Want to learn more? Check out this quick overview of our education program offerings:
Discovery Programs: These are in-person, classroom-based programs. Topics include citizen science/fish ID, invasive species, endangered species and Grouper Moon Project, and Florida Keys ecology. Generally one or two hours in length, these programs can be tailored to fit a variety of age groups. Presentations are paired with engaging, hands-on activities for a well-rounded experience.
Expeditions: These include the same content as our Discovery Programs, with additional field-based activities such as scuba diving, snorkeling, or kayaking. Expeditions usually include mornings in the classroom, followed by afternoon activities on the water. Programs can range from one day to a full week in length. Expeditions are hosted at the REEF Campus in Key Largo.
Virtual Programs: We know that it's not always possible to visit the REEF Campus in the Florida Keys, so we offer online program options that allow groups to engage with marine conservation from anywhere. Virtual Discovery Programs cover all of the same things as in person programs - the only difference is that the program is conducted online by a REEF staff member. Meanwhile, Virtual Field Trips are designed to for educators to incorporate REEF lesson plans in their own classrooms. During a virtual program, students can learn about fish ID, invasive lionfish, and endangered species.
Programs can be booked year round, and we'd love to work with your school, university, group or club! To learn more or book an Ocean Explorers Education Program, visit www.REEF.org/explorers or contact explorers@REEF.org.
Author: Carolyn Corley, Education Coordinator
We're counting down to the 2025 Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Arts Festival this April! This event uniquely combines invasive lionfish removal with vibrant local arts and conservation efforts, aiming to engage the community in ocean conservation through interactive and educational activities. Here's what to expect:
April 24 - Kick-off Party and Captain's Meeting: Registered derby teams will gather at Florida Keys Brewing Company for a Captain's Meeting This session is mandatory for derby participation and will cover rules and safety protocols. Online attendance options are available. The public is also invited to attend the kick-off party to celebrate the start of this community event.
April 25-26 - Lionfish Derby: From sunrise on Friday, April 25, through sundown on Saturday, April 26, teams of divers will compete to remove as many invasive lionfish as possible from Florida Keys waters. Prizes will be awarded to the teams who harvest the most, largest, and smallest lionfish.
April 27 - Family-Friendly Arts and Science Festival: Join us from 12-4pm at the REEF Campus in Key Largo for a festival celebrating the intersection of art, science, and marine conservation. The festival is free and open to all ages, and includes interactive science activities and educational games, live music, lionfish scoring, fillet and dissection demonstrations, and free lionfish tastings, activity booths from environmental organizations and local artisans, food trucks and refreshments, and the Derby Awards Ceremony, recognizing the achievements of participating teams and announcing derby winners.
Non-profits, government agencies, and conservation-minded artisans may submit an application to exhibit at the Festival on April 27. All vendors are encouraged to provide interactive displays or activities to engage festival attendees. Limited booth spaces are available, and vendors can apply online here. The application deadline is March 14, 2025.
Check out www.REEF.org/lionfishfestival for all the details, including how to register your derby team. We hope to see you there!
Author: Carolyn Corley, Education Coordinator
Exciting things are happening in the Florida Keys! The Size Matters: Innovative Length Estimates (SMILE) Project is underway, using the power of citizen science to gather essential data on fish populations. Divers and non-divers alike can help make a difference by participating in this project. Read on to learn more about the SMILE Project and how you can get involved.
The SMILE Project relies on scuba divers to help measure important fish species, like Black Grouper and Hogfish, using special laser-mounted cameras. The goal of the project is to collect accurate size data that helps scientists better understand fish populations and support sustainable fisheries. Over the past several months, we have partnered with Upper Keys dive operators including Key Dives and Rainbow Reef Dive Center to host public workshops and train their dive staff and interns in how to use the cameras. The SMILE project was also recently featured in Alert Diver magazine. Click here to read the article.
You can contribute to this project from home! We are looking for remote volunteers to help train Artificial Intelligence (AI) models by analyzing underwater images. It’s a simple way to make a big impact. Click here to sign up as a volunteer for the AI project.
Our team is working with researchers from Colorado State University and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission to study how we can make SMILE even better byconducting a formal survey. REEF would greatly appreciate if you would please complete this quick survey here. Everyone is invited to participate in the survey (one submission per person please). Your input will help us improve how we recruit and support future citizen science volunteers.
The SMILE Project is funded by NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program and supported by a fantastic team, including South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC), Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF), Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA), Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Engineers for Exploration University of California San Diego (UCSD), The Nature Conservancy California.
Author: Amy Lee, Communications Manager
We are excited to welcome our Spring 2025 Marine Education & Conservation Interns to REEF! They will assist with education, outreach, events, and daily operations around the REEF Campus in Key Largo, Florida. Marine Conservation Interns play an integral role in our daily operations, programs, events, and outreach. Since 1993, more than 150 young adults have interned with REEF and transitioned into careers all over the world, in the marine conservation field and beyond. Please join us in welcoming Camila, Brit, and Anna! Here's a bit more about them:
Camila Rimoldi Ibañez is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina and moved to Central Florida 14 years ago. Taking beach trips with her family inspired her passion for protecting, conserving, and learning more about the ocean. She graduated from Florida Atlantic University Honors College with a B.S. in marine biology and minor in environmental studies. In college, she was an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Integrative Marine and Coastal Ecology where she conducted her bachelors thesis, did a study abroad in Australia, and participated in Harbor Branch’s Semester by the Sea Program. Camila is very excited for this next step in her career and become part of the REEF team.
Brit Skolnik graduated from the University of Washington in June 2024 with a degree in environmental studies and minors in environmental science/resource management and data science. During her senior year of college that she realized she wanted to work in the marine science field thanks to her internship with NOAA, where she fell in love with all things marine. She is interested in working with marine wildlife and hopes to become involved in research and conservation efforts. In her free time, she loves making jewelry, baking, exploring local cafes, and being outside. She is excited to be a part of the REEF team and expand her conservation and outreach skills.
Anna Velardi graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a B.S. in environmental science and a minor in digital studies. She has studied abroad in Jamaica and Bonaire, where she earned her diving certification and volunteered with a local coral nursery. She also found a passion for research, investigating the presence of heavy metals in soils. After graduation, she spent a summer working as a marine educator at a scuba camp in Topsail, North Carolina, before traveling to Seward, Alaska, where she interned with the Veterinary Lab team at the Alaska SeaLife Center.
For more information about the Marine Conservation Internship or to apply for an upcoming semester, visit www.REEF.org/internship.
Author: Noa Parks, Citizen Science Coordinator
Our online programs are free and open to all! Check out what's coming up, and view the entire schedule of Fishinars and other online programs here.
Fishinar: Eastern Atlantic & Mediterranean Invertebrates and Algae
Tuesday, March 18, 8pm ET
Click here to register.
Join us to learn how to identify some common invertebrate and algae species of the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean region! This session will be taught by REEF Co-Executive Director Christy Semmens.
Red Hermit Crab photo by Marco Santos/ImagDOP
Author: The REEF Team
Introducing our March Fish of the Month, the Grunt Sculpin, Rhamphocottus richardsonii!
Survey Regions: The Grunt Sculpin is found in REEF's Pacific US and Canada (PAC) survey region. It is common from Alaska to Puget Sound, with rarer sightings to the south in Oregon and California. Click here to see a distribution for this species in the REEF database.
Size: They are 2-3 inches long and grow to a maximum of 3.5 inches.
Identifying Features: Grunt Sculpins have a short, stocky, slightly curled body and a large, bulbous head with a tapered snout. They have a bright orange tail base with a white band, and are covered in mottles and streaks ranging from cream to orange to dark brown.
Fun Facts: Grunt Sculpins live on rocky bottoms and areas with sand and rubble. They use their pectoral fin rays to "crawl" along the bottom, and will often shelter in empty barnacle shells.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for our next Fish of the Month.
Photo by Janna Nichols.
