Research conducted by Dr. Ben Holt from University of East Angila in the UK shows that methods to record marine diversity used by REEF surveyors returned results consistent with techniques favoured by peer-reviewed science. The findings give weight to the growing phenomenon of citizen science programs such as REEF's Volunteer Survey Project. The field study compared methods used by REEF volunteer SCUBA divers with those used by professional scientists to measure the variety of fish species in three Caribbean sites in the Turks and Caicos.
We proudly announce our Volunteer of the Year for 2012, Jonathan Lavan. Jonathan joined REEF in 2004 and since then, he has logged 324 REEF fish surveys and become a member of REEF's Advanced Assessment Teams for both the Tropical Western Atlantic and Pacific Coast survey regions. He has submitted surveys in five of REEF's six regions. Jonathan's involvement with REEF has been instrumental in spreading the word about REEF and its programs.
Blackbelt hogfish have a dark front half of the body and white to yellowish rear half of the body. Separating these two regions is a wide, oblique black band, or its “black belt.” A black spot at the base of the pectoral fin base is present. In the juvenile phase, blackbelt hogfish are purple to nearly black with a double row of large black edged yellow spots.
Pink anemonefish can be pink to orange in coloration and has a narrow white bar on the head and another narrow white stripe that starts on the nose and runs underneath the dorsal fin to the tail.
The black bar on the back half of the body divides the coloration of the body – tan with fine dark scale margins at the front and a white back and tail. The pectoral fins have a yellow hue.
In the summer of 1993, the first REEF fish surveys were conducted by a group of pioneering volunteers. Twenty years later, REEF's Volunteer Survey Project and other REEF initiatives are leading the way as innovative and effective marine conservation programs. To celebrate, we will be hosting 4 days of diving, learning, and parties this August in Key Largo, Florida, and we hope you will join us! REEF Fest - Celebrating 20 Years of Marine Conservation Success will take place August 7-11, 2013.
The longnose butterflyfish is identified by its elongate nose. It has a black upper head and silvery white below. The rest of the body is yellow with a large black spot below the tail base.
The jewel damselfish has a brownish body that often fades to light tan or white toward the tail. It is covered in small blue spots.
The dash-dot goatfish is white in coloration, with a black stripe that extends from the nose to beneath the back of the dorsal fin. A large black spot is present just before the tail fin. The dash-dot goatfish also has yellow on its upper back.
The pennant bannerfish is a white butterflyfish with three black bands, one through the eye, one through the dorsal and anal fin and the other along the upper rear of the body. The top of the snout is yellow. The tallest dorsal spines trails a father-like pennant.