REEF members are at the heart of our grassroots marine conservation programs. Over 50,000 divers, snorkelers, students, and armchair naturalists stand behind our mission.

This month we highlight Jason Feick, a REEF member since 2003. Jason has been an active surveying member in his home state of Massachusetts, and he's a proud member of the Advanced Assessment Team of Expert surveyors for the Northeast (NE) region. He has also done almost 200 surveys in the warmer waters of the Caribbean and Hawaii. To date, he's conducted 403 surveys. Here's what Jason had to say about REEF:

How did you first hear about REEF?

I came up from a dive in Curacao and everyone was talking about the fish they saw and when they asked me what I saw my response was “a bunch of blue fish (blue tangs) and a potato looking thing with fins (Porcupinefish.)” After that I was determined to know what I was looking at. Around the same time, I saw an advertisement for REEF in a dive magazine and went to the website, bought the Reef Fish Identification book, and have been during surveys ever since.

Do you dive close to where you live, and if so, what is the best part about diving there?

Yes, I live in Massachusetts and dive the chilly waters off Cape Ann, MA often. The best part about diving here is the variety of marine life in different geographic areas. South of Cape Cod the waters are slightly warmer and the marine life is very different. A short drive to Rhode Island and one can see juvenile tropical fish, while a little longer drive to Maine and one can see abundant invertebrate life, such as northern red anemones and stalked tunicates.

What is the most fascinating fish encounter you’ve experienced?

On a recent trip to Eastport, Maine, I videoed two Ocean Pout either having a territorial dispute or engaged in mating behavior. They started off lying side-by-side, then one bit the other in the back and shook vigorously. The second Pout then returned the favor to the first. They ultimately locked jaws as one of them pushed the other into my camera. This was quite an exciting interaction to witness. You can watch the video here.

What is your most memorable fish find and why?

A couple months ago I came across a goosefish while diving Halibut Shores, MA. This is an “ugly” (beautiful to me) fish that I thought I would never find. It is an ambush predator that uses a lure, similar to a frogfish, to draw in prey that it gulps up with its huge mouth. I saw its outline from a distance and couldn’t believe my eyes. As I got closer this crab came bumbling down a rock towards the goosefish. I was afraid the crab was going to chase the goosefish off and I wouldn’t be able to get a good picture. Well the crab did spook the goosefish, but he only moved a little and actually the movement shook off the silt that was covering the goosefish and I was able to get some good pictures and video of him. Top on my list of critters to see is an Atlantic Wolffish. My friends recently saw three of these on a dive I chose not to go one, D’oh!