I want to thank everyone who donated during our winter fundraising campaign. With member support, REEF was able to raise $115,000. Your contributions drive REEF programs, from protecting keystone species to educating the next generation of ocean enthusiasts. If you haven't donated yet, there are still a few limited-edition prints left for donations of $250 and over that are received by April 4th. You can donate online or call us at 305-852-0030.

This past Tuesday, REEF launched our Winter Fundraising campaign. Thank you to all who have already donated. If you haven' yet given, we are asking for your help today! By giving a gift, you are ensuring that REEF can continue to inspire people around the world to cherish and protect our marine resources.

You can give securely 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.

Competing against thousands of books from more than 200 countries, REEF's The Lionfish Cookbook was awarded Best in the World status in two categories at the 22nd annual Gourmand World Cookbook Awards held last month in Yantai, China. The Lionfish Cookbook was recognized one of the top three books in the world in the categories of Sustainable Food Book and Fundraising/Charity Book. The book had also reached the short list in the Seafood category.

We are proud to release REEF's 2016 Annual Report, reviewing accomplishments from our ocean conservation and education programs. Click here to view the Annual Report. In the report, we highlight many achievements and successes in 2016, such as:

On April 19th, nine Whole Foods Market stores across South Florida will be supporting ocean conservation. Stores in Coral Springs, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Pompano Beach, Boca Raton, Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington, and West Palm Beach will donate 5% of their total sales from the day to REEF, to support our South Florida conservation efforts. Whole Foods Markets® has been working with REEF to help develop the market for invasive lionfish and is this year's derby series title sponsor.

Every month, scientists, government agencies, and other groups request raw data from REEF’s Fish Survey Project database. Recent examples of data requests include:

-       Staff from MacArthur State Beach Park in Florida are using REEF data to evaluate fish populations in the park.

-       Researchers at SeaDoc Society and Washington Department of Fish and Game are using REEF data to evaluate Northern (Pinto) Abalone in Washington State

REEF staff, board members, and project collaborators recently joined over 300 scientists, resource managers, and fishers at the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) meeting in San Andres, Colombia. GCFI aims to apply fisheries and marine science to solve problems by bringing multiple users of ocean resources together to make informed and coordinated decisions for sustainable use of these resources. REEF staff regularly attend GCFI to share findings and perspectives from our various programs. This year, REEF's Director of Science, Dr.

Join one of REEF's valued Conservation Partners, CoCo View Resort in Roatan, Honduras for Wednesday Night Fishinars! This week, "2017 Lionfish Update" will start at 7:30pm in the CoCo View Clubhouse. Join this fun, informal presentation to learn about the threat of exotic and invasive speices on marine ecosytems, and what is being done to help. These viewings are free and open to all CoCo View guests.

 

On Saturday, March 30, ten teams of 34 divers removed 620 invasive lionfish during REEF’s 7th Annual Winter Lionfish Derby, held at Sharkey’s Pub and Galley Restaurant in Key Largo. Between sunrise and 6 p.m., competitors scoured Florida Keys reefs in an attempt to to bring in the smallest lionfish, largest lionfish, and most number of individual lionfish. Team Forever Young caught the most fish at 149 individual lionfish.

Pages