This year is off to an exciting (and jetsetting) start for the REEF team, as two of our staff recently traveled to Tasmania, the southernmost state in Australia, to present at various scientific conferences. First, REEF Co-Executive Director Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D., attended the International Temperate Reefs Symposium. Christy and her husband Dr. Brice Semmens, a frequent REEF scientific collaborator, both gave presentations at the conference, which hosted scientists from around the world who study kelp forests and rocky reefs.
You can still sign up for a REEF Field Survey Trip this year! Limited space is available on upcoming 2023 trips. Visit the links below to learn more about each trip, and when you're ready to book, email trips@REEF.org. When you join a REEF Trip, you'll learn about marine life, collect important citizen science data to help study and protect the oceans, and meet others who are interested in conservation. Spaces are filling up fast, so we suggest booking as soon as possible!
The Conservation Challenge is a fun way to earn collectible stickers while participating in marine conservation and citizen science. There are a variety of stickers to collect, and this month, we're highlighting two challenges: the Fishinars Challenge and the 30 for 30 Challenge! All you have to do to earn the Fishinars sticker is attend a REEF online program, or watch an archived session. Visit www.REEF.org/fishinars to see all upcoming programs as well as our archive of more than 200 sessions.
Located on St. Lucia's southwestern coast, Anse Chastanet has beautiful views of the ocean and the Pitons, two peaks rising up from the sea. The entire region is a protected marine area and excellent, easily accessible beach diving is available directly in front of the resort. When not diving or snorkeling, guests can enjoy sea kayaking, jungle biking, yoga and sailing. Anse Chastanet is an environmentally-conscious, luxury resort with plenty of amenities and delicious food, making it a great destination for divers, snorkelers, and non-diving companions.
REEF online programs are free and open to everyone! Here's what's coming up this month:
Fishinar: Bring on the Blennies!
Tuesday, February 21, 8pm EST
Click here to register.
Do those small, tube-dwelling, goggle-eyed blennies boggle your brain? Learn how to tell the differences between some of the most common blennies in the Tropical Western Atlantic region, and where to find them.
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.
Introducing our February Fish of the Month, the Longhorn Sculpin, Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus
Survey Regions: They are found from Virginia to Newfoundland, in REEF's Northeast US and Canada (NE) region. Click here to see a distribution report for this species.
Size: They can grow to about 18 inches (46 cm) in length but are generally 10-14 inches.
This past week marked the 21st year of the Grouper Moon Project, a highly successful conservation science collaboration between REEF and the Cayman Islands Department of Environment (DOE) to study one of the largest and last known spawning aggregations of endangered Nassau Grouper in the Caribbean.
Paradise as it was intended! Set out over the turquoise Caribbean waters of Utila Bay, Utila Lodge is the perfect place for whatever you’re looking for in a vacation. Sitting on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second largest reef system on the planet, Utila is host to world-class diving. With over 60 dive sites, there is plenty to explore. Wrecks, caves, huge drops offs, and sea mounds all around the island provide changing dive scenery to ensure every dive is unique and memorable. Most famously, Utila is known as the Whale Shark capital of the Caribbean.
Known as one of the best-preserved marine areas in the Caribbean, Jardines de la Reina (Gardens of the Queen) is a marine park located in the southeastern portion of Cuba known for its high fish diversity and biomass. A variety of marine habitats including patch reefs, seagrass, and mangroves surround the islands, providing important nursery areas for many juvenile fish species. Large fish such as snapper, grouper, and sharks are frequent sightings for divers in this area, and the barrier reefs have a fantastic abundance of hard and soft coral and sponges.