Putting It to Work: Who’s Using REEF Data, September 2011
By Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D., Director of Science
Every month, scientists, government agencies, and other groups request raw data from REEF’s Fish Survey Project database. Here is a sampling of who has asked for REEF data recently and what they are using it for:
- Scientists from NOAA Fisheries are using REEF data to conduct stock assessments on parrotfishes in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands.
- REEF Advanced Assessment Team members joined the Living Oceans Foundation's Global Reef Expedition in the Bahamas. Scientists from LOF are now using the REEF data collected to generate species distribution maps of remote areas including Cay Sal Bank.
- A researcher from the Gilbert Ichthyological Society at the Burke Museum in Washington is evaluating the distribution of the two sub-species of blue rockfish along the west coast.
Upcoming Fishinars - Lionfish and Fish Behavior Added to the Schedule
By Janna Nichols, REEF Outreach Coordinator
If you haven't had a chance to attend one of our Fishinars yet, you should! New sessions are continually being added, so check out the Webinar Training page (www.REEF.org/resources/webinars) to see the current schedule and to register for one or more sessions. These popular online training sessions (webinars) provide fishie fun in the comfort of your own home. Fishinars are open to divers, snorkelers, and devout landlubbers alike. Participation is free but you need to register for each session you want to attend. No special software is required, just a web browser. You don't need a microphone or a webcam to be able to participate. Great for first-timers or those wanting a review. Upcoming sessions include:
QUE PASA? THE TOP 12 FISH OF THE NORTHERN SEA OF CORTEZ - Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) region REEF Fish ID: Learn tips from REEF Expert and fish geek, Jonathan Lavan, on how to ID Sea of Cortez fish. Wednesday, April 18th at 5pm PDT / 8pm EDT
LIONFISH 101 - Join REEF's Special Projects Director, Lad Akins for an hour long update on the lionfish invasion, biology/ecology, impacts and what is being done throughout the region. Lad's talk will be followed by a 15 minute Q&A session; Wednesday, April 25th at 8pm EDT
SPEED DATING FISHY STYLE: HOW FISH SPAWN AND WHEN YOU'RE LIKELY TO CATCH THEM IN THE ACT- Ned DeLoach, world renowned marine life photographer/author, Co-Founder of REEF, fish behavior guru and all-around nice guy, will teach you about making fish babies. Ned's talk will be followed by a Q&A session. Wednesday, May 9th at 8pm EDT
THE NORTHEAST'S DIRTY DOZEN - What those die-hard drysuit divers in the North Atlantic are seeing on their dives. A great way to prepare yourself for the Great Annual Fish Count in July. Friday, May 18th at 7pm EDT
New Webinars Coming Up
By Janna Nichols, REEF Outreach Coordinator
New Fishinars have been added! Check out the Webinar Training page (www.REEF.org/resources/webinars). These popular online training sessions provide fishie fun in the comfort of your own home. Fishinars are free, and open to all REEF members. You need to register for each session you want to attend. No special software is required, just a web browser. Upcoming sessions include:
Super Duper Grouper - Are you groping for groupers? These carnivores of the reef are often hard to tell apart. Let REEF fish geek Jonathan Lavan help guide you through the tricks of the trade, and soon you'll be a Super Duper Grouper Sleuther! Thursday, October 11th at 8pm EDT. REGISTER
The Grunt Club!- Grunts, Grunts, everywhere - but how to tell them apart? Join the Grunt Club! REEF fish expert Jonathan Lavan will teach you simple tricks for keeping all the stripes separate on these buggers. Tuesday, November 6th at 8pm EDT. REGISTER
Caribbean Hit Parade! Top 25 Fish - Caribbean REEF Fish ID: Learn tips from REEF Expert and fish geek, Jonathan Lavan, on how to ID the top 25 fish in the Caribbean. An interactive format makes it ideal for asking questions and learning while having fun. Essential for dive travelers heading to Cozumel, Bonaire, and any other Caribbean destination. [Note: This will be a LONG course. Two hours, not the usual one hour length, so plan accordingly.] Thursday, December 6th at 8pm EDT. REGISTER
Test Your ID Skills Online
By REEF Staff
We recently updated our online quizzes to add several more regions, including the South Pacific, the Northeast, California Invertebrates, and the South Atlantic. If it's been a while since you have visited this resource on our website, check it out today. These fun quizzes are a great way to test your ID skills. You can take the quiz as many times as you want, and questions are randomly generated so it will always be a bit different. Have fun!
Looking for a Great Dive Vacation?
By REEF Staff
REEF Field Surveys are a great way to take a dive vacation that counts! We offer trips throughout our project regions. The 2014 trip schedule includes many sites in the Caribbean and Pacific Northwest, as well as several Lionfish Research Expeditions.
One of our featured destinations in 2014 -- Honduras aboard the MV Caribbean Pearl II Liveaboard, June 21-28, 2014. REEF's Director of Science, Dr. Christy Pattengill-Semmens, and her husband and reef fish scientist, Dr. Brice Semmens, will lead a great week of diving, learning, and fun! We'll spend the week cruising around the Bay Islands of Honduras aboard the luxurious MV Caribbean Pearl II. We will begin our diving journey in Utila, then explore hidden sea mounts and search for whale sharks enroute to Roatan. After diving in Roatan we will head back to the home port on Utila. The week ends with a walk around the charming town of Utila. The trip costs $2,610 per diver double occupancy, and includes lodging for 7 nights in a Deluxe Cabin with private bathroom, unlimited diving, and all meals and drinks while on board. An additional REEF Program Fee of $300 is added to cover the program costs, seminars, and survey materials. Click here to find out more about this trip. Or visit the REEF Trips page at www.REEF.org/trips to see the complete schedule.
We hope to see you on our Honduras liveaboard trip, or one of our other Field Surveys in 2014! These trips are are a great introduction to fish identification for novice fishwatchers, and a fun way for experienced surveyors to build their life list while interacting with fellow fish watchers.
Upcoming Fishinars - Hawaii's Wrasse, East vs. West, and more
By Janna Nichols, REEF Outreach Coordinator
We've got lots of exciting, fun, and educational REEF Fishinars in store for you this year - featuring your favorite instructors and special guests alike. Check out the full schedule at www.REEF.org/fishinars. Fishinars coming up include:
- Hawaii's Wrascally Wrasses - Heather George, Liz Foote, and Donna Brown, May 13th
- Coralinar! - Dr. Marilyn Brandt, May 29th
- Eastside vs Westside: Lookalike Fish from the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts, Andy Lamb and Andy Martinez, June 19th
- Playing in the Sandbox: Top 12 Sand Dwellers of the Caribbean - Jonathan Lavan, October 7th
- That Face, That Face, That Wonderful Face! Top 12 Blennies of the Caribbean - Jonathan Lavan, November 4th
REEF Fishinars are a free benefit of REEF membership, and did you know that REEF members can also access and view any of our archived Fishinars from previous years? A great way for new fish surveyors to learn, or for experienced fish surveyors to brush up on their ID skills.
Explore our Fishinar webpage, register for the sessions you like, and we'll see you online!
New REEF Ray Troll Shirt and Other New Store Additions
By REEF Staff
If you haven't checked out the online REEF Store recently, now is a great time to do some shopping. It's a great place to get field ID reference guides, REEF survey materials, REEF gear, and lionfish field gear. We have added several new items recently, including:
- Ray Troll's "Dive Bar" shirt with REEF logo, click here
- Lionfish 3-D Puzzle, Lionfish Plush, and Lionfish Phone Case, click here
- New Underwater Survey Paper, including an extended list version for the Caribbean and new paper for the Central Indo-Pacific, click here
- Expanded and Revised 4th Edition of Reef Fish Identification- Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas, click here
The Faces of REEF: Phil Green
By Sasha Medlen, REEF Membership Coordinator
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 Phil Green, a REEF member since 2005. An active surveyor who lives on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands of Washington State. Phil has conducted almost 400 surveys to date and is a member of REEF's Advanced Assessment Team for the Pacific region. Here's what he had to say about REEF:
How did you become involved with REEF?
Joe Gaydos, director and chief scientist at SeaDoc Society, suggested I should be doing REEF surveys in the Yellow and Low Islands MPA where I live and work for The Nature Conservancy. I had never heard of REEF and hadn’t been diving in over 30 years. He told me there was a fish ID class in a month. I took Janna Nichols’ class, got hooked on REEF, and got recertified at Anacortes Diving, the best dive shop anywhere. So I took my first REEF class before I was even a certified diver.
Have you participated in any of the Advanced Assessment Team Projects?
I’ve been on the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS) AAT project several times. The topside scenery is amazing and there is always the chance to see marine mammals (humpback whales and Steller sea lions). The diving there is amazing, both for fish and invertebrates. But the best part is diving with other AAT members. There is always so much to learn so to be diving with other level five surveyors is the ultimate learning experience.
What motivates you to conduct REEF surveys?
Even before joining REEF, I was a firm believer in citizen science. I turn in nearly daily bird lists to Cornell’s ebird website. Having done that for over ten years, it was second nature to turn in a dive survey following each dive. Not only is it a way to justify my hobbies, it just feels really good to know I’m helping supply data that cannot be gathered in any other way.
Do you have a memorable fish sighting to share?
I was diving with the Anacortes dive club out of Rendezvous Lodge in Barkley Sound where I had previously been on a REEF trip. REEF goes there in the fall but summer is the time to see Sixgill Sharks. Our group was swimming with a Sixgill and I was at the end of a line of divers. The shark did a 180 and swam straight at me. I laid flat on my back pressed against the bottom as it swam directly over me. I clicked a photo showing nothing but mouth. All I could think was WOW, a shark just swam over me inches away.
What is your favorite fish or invertebrate to see while diving in the Pacific Northwest?
My absolute favorite critter is the Giant Pacific Octopus (GPO). A couple years ago I was a bit burned out on diving the same site where I live. Then I discovered a GPO den, then another, and another, and finally a total of five den sites between two different dive sites. Octos move around between den sites and it became a game to try to find them, the underwater version of ‘Where’s Waldo.” Last year I named my dive boat Octopi.
The Faces of REEF: Alex Brett
By Sasha Medlen, REEF Membership and Development Coordinator
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 Alex Brett, a REEF member since 2014. Since joining last year, Alex has conducted 27 surveys, almost all in the Northeast (NE) region. Here's what he had to say about REEF:
How did you first hear about REEF?
I first heard about REEF at Boston Sea Rovers during a presentation where the invertebrate monitoring program was being unveiled for the New England area. I had been involved in a lot of benthic invertebrate survey work in college, so the idea of adding science to my normal dives was particularly appealing.
In your opinion, what is the most important aspect of REEF’s projects and programs?
I feel that the REEF programs are valuable for two equally important reasons. First off, the data that are produced are invaluable for understanding trends in ocean ecosystems. Recreational volunteer divers can collect far more data than most researchers could hope to achieve. Second, I believe that citizen science programs like REEF are invaluable because of how they engage people in marine science. By inspiring divers to become involved in marine science, REEF helps people form a stronger connection to the ocean and makes them more likely to speak up and take action on marine environmental issues.
Do you dive close to where you live, and if so, what is the best part about diving there?
I live on the coast of Maine, and I dive there year-round. I’ve dove many places around the world and it’s still one of my favorite areas to dive. The rugged rocky coast makes for some wonderfully dramatic topography underwater and our high tidal currents bring an awesome diversity of invertebrate life. One of my favorite places to dive in Maine is a spot, about 20 miles offshore, called Mount Desert Rock. The visibility is usually spectacular and a breeding colony of grey seals make for some entertaining dive companions.
What is your favorite fish or marine invertebrate?
Too many possibilities! I definitely can’t pick just one. I love all nudibranchs, particularly those in the genus Flabellina, like the Red-gilled Nudibranch. Lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) are also pretty incredible, with their goofy face and fins modified into a suction disc.
Is there a fish or marine invertebrate you haven’t seen yet diving, but would like to?
I would love to see an Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola) while diving. I’ve seen them at the surface many times, but they are such a unique critter I can’t quite imagine encountering one underwater. One of the things I love about diving is that you never quite know what you’re going to run into while you’re out there.
REEF's 2016 Lionfish Derby Series
By Emily Stokes, REEF Lionfish Program Assistant
REEF is continuing to lead the charge on combating invasive lionfish! The 2016 Lionfish Derby Series is just around the corner and it’s going to be bigger than ever.
For those who are not familiar with REEF’s Lionfish Derbies, they are competitions where divers and snorkelers compete to bring in the most lionfish in a single day. There are cash prizes for the teams who land the most lionfish, the largest lionfish and the smallest. REEF hosted the first Lionfish Derby in 2009, making this our 8th year of derbies. Last year over 1,000 lionfish were brought in as part of the series and over 16 thousand lionfish have been removed by participants since the first derby in 2009.
The annual derbies are planned in Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Key Largo. This year, we are excited to be adding a fourth derby to the series in Sarasota, partnering with Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium and ZooKeeper LLC.
To learn more about lionfish, visit www.REEF.org/lionfish, and to see all the details and register for the Derby Series, visit www.REEF.org/lionfish/derbies. We also have a REEF Sanctioned Derby program in which REEF helps others organize and conduct safe and effective derbies by providing tools, templates and promotion. Find out more at www.REEF.org/lionfish/events.