REEF is working in close partnership with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) to diligently track lionfish reports and initiate removal efforts in South Florida. The first confirmed lionfish in the Florida Keys was reported and captured within 24 hours in January 2009 (see previous enews article). Subsequent early reports in March-June were met with successful rapid response.
REEF is working in close partnership with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) to diligently track lionfish reports and initiate removal efforts in South Florida. The first confirmed lionfish in the Florida Keys was reported and captured within 24 hours in January 2009 (see previous enews article). Subsequent early reports in March-June were met with successful rapid response.
In December, we described ways REEF is working to inspire people around the world to cherish and protect our marine resources. We hope you were inspired to make a contribution so we can continue this critical work. If you haven’t already given, please donate online at www.REEF.org/donate, mail your donation to REEF at PO Box 370246, Key Largo, FL 33037, or call us at 305-852-0030.
We are excited to welcome Alexa "Lex" Bryant to the REEF Team as Conservation Science Associate. Lex joined the staff at the beginning of 2022 and is based at the REEF Campus in Key Largo. She grew up outside of Boston, where she started her marine science journey. She was certified to dive when she was 14, exploring the New England waters. Around the same time, she started working aboard the F/V Erica Lee II out of Newburyport, MA, and spent her summers teaching marine science. Lex eventually worked her way up to First Mate and started her commercial fishing career.
If you haven't yet had a chance to check out REEF's 2015 Field Survey Trip Schedule, we encourage you to take a look. Visit www.REEF.org/trips to see the complete schedule, package details, trip leader bios, trip policies, and more. We hope you will join us!. Spaces are starting to fill up, and we want to make sure you don't miss this chance to take a "Dive Vacation that Counts".
If you haven’t yet booked a REEF trip, or if you are considering another, please take a look below. There are still a few spaces left, especially in the first half of the year when colder temperatures at home may make a tropical dive vacation look especially inviting. In particular, be sure to check out our trips to Fiji aboard the luxurious NAI'A liveaboard. We have 3 spaces available (1 double cabin and one share female space), May 2-12, and 1 male share space left on our second trip, May 12-19. We have also just added a trip to St. Lucia in December.
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.
More than sixty people gathered earlier this month at the Fish House Encore in Key Largo, Florida, for Lionfish Food and Wine Night. Before dining, event attendees learned about the lionfish invasion and the importance of removing lionfish from marine environments. Peter Tselikis, chef at Fish House Encore, showed the audience how to cook two popular lionfish dishes. Lad Akins, a renowned lionfish expert and REEF Director of Special Projects, taught the audience how to fillet lionfish, avoiding the venomous spines.
While we can't do much about dreary winter weather, booking a trip for the coming year might be just the trick to lift your mood. REEF trips are a diver's dream vacation! Destinations include Fiji, Hawaii, the Bahamas, Roatan, Cozumel and more. Expert-led fish identification education combined with citizen science and world-class diving make our trips unique. Visit www.REEF.org/trips to find out more, and then contact us at trips@REEF.org or 305-588-5869 to book your space.
The second annual Abaco Lionfish Derby, held at Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas, on Saturday June 19th, was a huge success. Teams on twenty-one boats from Florida and the Bahamas enjoyed perfect weather and conditions while collecting a grand total of 941 lionfish. Over $5,000 in cash was awarded to the winning teams for the most, biggest, and smallest lionfish. This event, held in the Bahamas and sanctioned by the Bahamas Department of Marine Resources, is one of many REEF efforts to cull invasive lionfish populations and raise awareness about the issue.