The third annual Fish Out of Water Virtual 5K is coming up on June 6-12. If you haven't registered yet, visit www.REEF.org/5K to sign up today! Be sure to register before April 30 to receive the early bird registration rate. When you sign up for the 5K, you will choose to join one of five Fish Teams. Read on to learn more about our 2022 Fish Teams, and you can check out each fish's "race personality" here.

The holidays are here, and REEF has plenty of great gifts for the ocean lover in your life! Check out our new Ocean Icon Rash Guards, featuring charismatic megafauna like the whale shark, manta ray, and sunfish. These rash guards are breathable and comfortable to wear while relaxing at home or during a day on the water. You can pair it with a visor, beanie, or a colorful REEF trucker hat for extra sun or wind protection.

REEF Ocean Explorers Education Programs engage and inspire learners of all ages to protect and conserve our oceans. Our programs topics include biology, ecology, citizen science, and invasive species, and are designed to help participate understand the importance of marine conservation and how they can make a difference. To reach new audiences and connect even more people with ocean conservation, we're also highlighting connections between arts, humanities, and science.

As Fall is upon us, we look ahead to 2009 and a great lineup of REEF travel opportunities. Our partners at Caradonna Dive Adventure have helped us put together an exciting Field Survey schedule, including St. Croix, Bermuda (with Ned and Anna DeLoach), and Grenada on the Peter Hughes Winddancer (with Paul Humann). These week-long projects are led by experts in fish identification and include great diving, learning, and camaraderie with like-minded divers and snorkelers. Your non-diving companions are welcome on all of the land-based projects.

As part of REEF's efforts to increase awareness about the invasive lionfish, train removal teams and develop regional response plans, REEF recently conducted a series of workshops, talks and lionfish removals in partnership with the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) in Georgia and the Cozumel Marine Park in Mexico. Combined the two projects held in July 2009 included 15 talks to more than 370 people.

Divers successfully removed 675 invasive lionfish from Florida Keys waters on August 20, during the upper Florida Keys derby of the Second Annual Florida Keys Lionfish Derby Series in Key Largo, Fla., organized by Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) and the FL Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). 

REEF Staff Dr. Christy Pattengill-Semmens (Director of Science) and Lad Akins (Director of Special Projects), joined over 300 scientists, resource managers, and fishers at the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) meeting last week in Corpus Christi, Texas. All three of REEF's major programs were represented.

REEF Staff and Board members are proud to announce the release of our 2013 Annual Report. To view a PDF of the report online, click here. In this report, you will find updates on our membership, the Volunteer Fish Survey Project, regional activities, special projects including Invasive Lionfish Research and the Grouper Moon Project, data use and publications, our upcoming plans, and finances. We are truly grateful for all your support that made 2013 such a success!

Have you registered for REEF Fest 2015 yet? It’s not too late! Join REEF, September 24th-27th, for a celebration of marine conservation success in the Florida Keys!

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