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.