In an ongoing collaborative conservation program called the ‘Grouper Moon Project’ with the Reef Environmental and Education Foundation (www.REEF.org), the Cayman Islands Department of the Environment has expanded the Nassau grouper monitoring to Grand Cayman.
On Saturday morning, June 20, SCUBA divers will converge on Coral Street Cove, a popular dive site in Pacific Grove, to collect marine life population information on the nearshore rocky reefs. The surveys are part of two citizen science programs that train volunteer recreational SCUBA divers and snorkelers to conduct field surveys - REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation, www.reef.org) and Reef Check (www.reefcheck.org).
The Indo-Pacific lionfish invasion front is rapidly moving south into the Caribbean. Through REEF’s on-the-ground work, lionfish impacts are being documented in the Bahamas and initial results suggest these impacts will be devastating. Belize saw their first lionfish in 2008, and they are spreading fast. Divers are starting to see more fish on more sites. Now, Belizean organizations are offering a $50.00 per fish bounty to remove the fish before they become established.
On Saturday April 25th, 2009, the headquarters of the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF), located in Key Largo, Florida, will be dedicated in honor James E. Lockwood. The dedication ceremony will be held at the historic conch house located in the median of Highway 1 at Mile Marker 99.8 from 1 - 3pm.
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Key Largo, Florida. The Reef Environmental Education Foundation’s home study DVD, Reef Fish Identification Florida Caribbean Bahamas, A Beginning Course has been awarded a Bronze Award in the 2008 Telly Awards competition in the Non-Broadcast Education category.
REEF announces the launch of a new seminar series, to be held the 2nd Tuesday of every month in Key Largo. These FREE seminars and lectures are open to the public -- everyone is welcome
Join Us the 2nd Tuesday of Each Month for this exciting series!
6:00-7:300 PM at the James E. Lockwood Jr. REEF Headquarters, Key Largo, MM 98.3 in the median.
Learn how you can make a dive or snorkel that counts. Become a citizen scientist and meet others who share your passion for the underwater world. Snorkelers, divers and armchair naturalists welcome.
DiveAssure, a leader in the field of diving and dive-travel insurance, has committed to support REEF to advance our projects and activities that benefit marine environments. DiveAssure is offering REEF members a significant discount on two levels of coverage - 50% off the regular price for the Platinum program and 35% off the Diamond program. DiveAssure offers membership benefits including the best insurance programs that are tailored to meet the needs and demands of divers.
The first confirmed lionfish sighting in the Florida Keys occurred on Tuesday, January 6, 2009. REEF received this specific sighting report at 2:30pm on the 6th from one of our volunteer divers from South Carolina, who was diving on vacation in the Keys. She found the fish near the base of Benwood Ledge (66') just offshore of the Benwood wreck, Key Largo. Via the numerous REEF media alerts and notices, she knew the invasion of lionfish was an issue and grabbed a few images with her digital camera to confirm the sighting.
Native to the Indo-Pacific, two species of lionfish (Pterois miles and P. volitans) have recently become established along the east coast of the U.S., Bermuda, Bahamas, and the north-central Caribbean. Their expansion through the Caribbean is occurring at a rapid pace and recent studies have demonstrated significant impacts of lionfish on native reef fish communities. REEF and NOAA researchers have documented more than 50 species of prey from lionfish stomachs including some commercially valuable species of grouper and snapper.
REEF's critical research on lionfish is currently featured as a video story on the National Geographic Daily News website. This video story follows a series of stories by the Associated Press earlier this month, as well as on the daily cable show Fox Live Desk and NBC Nightly News.