The votes are in, and we're excited to share the results of the 2023 Discover the Sea Photography Contest! We had an incredible response to this year's contest, with more than 500 photos submitted and over 6,500 votes, making this a very competitive and successful year! First, second, and third place winners were selected for each photo category, including Fish Portrait, Macro, Invertebrate, REEF Surveyor, and Habitat/Seascape/Environment. Click here to view all the winning photos.
REEF Fest is nearly here, and we couldn't be more excited for our annual marine conservation celebration happening next week (Oct. 19-22) in Key Largo! If you're planning to attend, we look forward to seeing you there. If you haven't yet registered, you can still make plans to join us for ocean presentations, diving, snorkeling, kayaking, and fun evening socials. Check out all the details and register for REEF Fest at www.REEF.org/REEFfest.
Last month, 22 teams of scuba divers took to the water and collected 1,898 invasive lionfish during the 14th Annual REEF Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival. Derby teams fished from sunrise to sunset on Friday, Sept. 8 and Saturday, Sept. 9. On Sunday, Sept. 10, participants gathered at Postcard Inn Beach Resort & Marina in Islamorada for a community celebration. The festival featured lionfish tastings, cooking and dissection demos, games, interactive booths, and live music.
REEF online programs are free and open to everyone! Here's what's coming up this month:
Fishinar: The Colorful Fish of Curacao
Thursday, October 12, 8pm EDT
Click here to register.
Headed to Curacao? Nestled between Aruba and Bonaire, this island has a great variety of fish species. Join us to learn about some of the species found here!
Meet our October Fish of the Month, the Red-lipped Batfish, Ogcocephalus darwini!
Survey Regions: Red-lipped Batfish are found in the Galapagos Islands, part of REEF's Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) survey region. Originally thought to be endemic to the Galapagos, they have also been recorded south off the coast of Peru. Click here to view a sightings report for this species.
This year we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project (VFSP). We are amazed and in awe of how the program has grown, and are so grateful to the over 17,000 volunteers who have conducted surveys through the years. The first surveys were conducted in July 1993 in Key Largo, FL. Since then, the VFSP has been expanded to waters around the world and has been modified to include invertebrates and algae in colder temperate waters. The database is approaching 300,000 surveys!
REEF Field Survey Trips are eco-vacations led by marine life experts. Each trip features daily dives and fish ID classes for both beginners and experienced surveyors. Divers, snorkelers, and families are all welcome. If you're looking for a Caribbean getaway this spring, the upcoming REEF Field Survey Trip to Utila offers an amazing chance to dive the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second-largest reef system in the world! Although it's the smallest of the three Bay Islands of Honduras, Utila has over 100 dive sites, including wrecks, huge drop-offs, and seamounts.
Enjoy the Best of the Philippines on the 10-night transition charter as the Philippines Aggressor makes its way from Tubbataha to Visayas as the seasons change. Tubbataha sits in the Sulu Sea and is in the middle of the Coral Triangle between Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The Tubbataha Reefs National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Visayas is home to some of the best scuba diving the Philippines offers. From soft coral-covered walls to black sand dives to Thresher sharks, huge schools of Sardines, Turtles, schools of Jacks, and Whale sharks.
Welcome to Citizen Science Corner, our quarterly feature to celebrate those who recently reached a milestone in our Volunteer Fish Survey Project. Here are achievements from July, August and September 2023:
Juvenile Hamlet Award
The Juvenile Hamlet Award is for individuals who have conducted 500+ REEF surveys. Congratulations to our latest Juvenile Hamlet Club members, Marilyn and Robert Bentley! Read more about the Juvenile Hamlet award and others who have achieved it.