Double Your Impact for World Oceans Day - REEF Summer Fundraising Campaign

World Oceans Day -- June 8, 2010

Dear Friends of REEF,

In honor of World Oceans Day, we are kicking off our summer fundraising campaign today with a goal of raising $60,000 over the next 60 days. To help us continue our important work, the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation has again generously pledged $30,000 to match gifts given by July 31. This extraordinarily generous offer will allow REEF to maximize all donations, so please donate today, and your gift to REEF will be doubled!

You can donate securely online at https://www.REEF.org/contribute through our secure web form. If you prefer, you can print the donation form and mail, fax your donation, or call our staff at REEF Headquarters (305-852-0030).

During a recent REEF Field Survey dive in the rich water off the southern Caribbean island of Bequia, I experienced a wonderful surprise. As I looked up after making a notation on my slate, a small blenny popped out of its hole and flared its large dorsal fin. I immediately recognized the fish as a Spiny Sailfin Blenny, a species that until that moment had never been recorded outside Venezuelan waters! This discovery, along with several other rare fish finds made by our REEF Field Survey group, made our time there unforgettable. Additionally, REEF’s efforts again succeeded in providing increasingly valuable data to ichthyologists and other interested parties.

Every survey is an adventure filled with personal discoveries. Thanks to thousands of volunteers, as well as financial support from members like you, REEF’s Volunteer Fish Survey database now has over 139,000 surveys! REEF data have played a vital role in the protection of important fish species. Around the world, governmental policies affording more protections to the Nassau Grouper, Goliath Grouper, Canary Rockfish, Yelloweye Rockfish, and Bocaccio, have all taken REEF data into account. That’s diving that truly counts!

As the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico continues to unfold, it is important to note that since 1994, REEF volunteers have conducted approximately 5,600 fish population surveys in the Gulf of Mexico, including the west coast of Florida, the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, and Veracruz, Mexico. REEF is poised to provide baseline data on fish species and abundance in those regions. This data provides a textbook example of the importance of maintaining long-term data of fish populations. There is no question that this data is necessary to understand the health of our oceans and specific fish populations in marine ecosystems all over the world.

Twenty years of support from members like you have made it possible for REEF to build and maintain this valuable history of fish populations throughout our program regions. We could not do this vitally important work without you.

Join us today to celebrate World Oceans Day, and as you pause to reflect on your own connection to the sea, consider making a generous gift to support our important programs. Please donate today at https://www.REEF.org/contribute. Our Staff and Board of Trustees find inspiration in your continued generosity. Thank you again!

Paul Humann

President, REEF Board of Trustees

P.S. REEF is a registered 501(c)(3) U.S. charity and all donations are 100% tax-deductible. Don't forget to ask your employer about matching your gift to REEF. Please call our office for more information, or to make your donation by phone at (305) 852-0030.

Photo credits: Ned DeLoach (lionfish, Caribbean surveyor), Brice Semmens (Nassau grouper), Pete Naylor (PNW surveyor).