This Great Annual Fish Count, join REEF and Pirate's Cove Watersports for a free fish ID class, followed by a REEF fish survey dive/snorkel.
The educator will join the participants on the afternoon boat to provide survey supplies, answer questions about surveying, and help identify fish that you see.
This class is great for beginners! Check out this two-minute video on REEF surveys.
Supported by a grant from the Society of Conservation Biology, REEF Ocean Explorers Education team member Madalyn Mussey recently traveled to the southeastern Caribbean island of Grenada to teach fish ID and REEF survey methods to college students. Known as the the Aqua Rangers, these Grenadian students protect their island resources and learn career skills to boost their blue economy.
In a new study published last week in the journal Conservation Letters, researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, and REEF demonstrate that fish population data collected by volunteer scuba divers and snorkelers (i.e. citizen scientists) provide a powerful and accurate tool to track species trends and biodiversity.
KEY LARGO, FLA. – In a new study published this week in journal Conservation Letters, researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, and Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) demonstrate that fish taxonomy data collected by volunteer scuba divers (i.e. citizen scientists) provide a powerful and accurate tool to track species trends and biodiversity.
The state of biodiversity for most of the world is largely unknowable due to a lack of long-term population monitoring data. Citizen science programs could substantially contribute to resolving this data crisis, but there are noted concerns on whether methods can overcome the biases and imprecision inherent to these programs.
We have just released the 2025 REEF Field Survey Trips schedule, and we hope you will join us on a future trip! 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, please visit the links below.
Our March Fish of the Month is the Barberfish, Johnrandallia nigrirostris!
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: Strange Fishes of the Pacific Northwest
Tuesday, March 19 8pm EDT
Click here to register.
Poachers, snailfish, lumpsuckers... join us to learn about some of the weird fish who call the Pacific Northwest home.
Marbled Snailfish photo by Greg Jensen.
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 Debbie Cacace, a REEF member from Virginia. She joined REEF in 2017 and has conducted more than 460 surveys in the Tropical Western Atlantic region, where she is a Level 5 surveyor. Thank you Debbie, for being a dedicated and active part of REEF!
