The REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project is widely regarded as one of the most impactful ocean citizen science programs. Since 1993, almost 18,000 REEF volunteers have generated one of the largest marine life databases in the world. What makes it such a success? Since the beginning, the data have been made available to everyone. Anyone can query the database and generate summary reports on the REEF website. Our staff also facilitate access to raw data files for scientists, government agencies, and other groups to use in a wide array of studies and policies to better understand and protect the oceans. These data requests have resulted in over 250 scientific publications. Visit this page to see a full list of scientific publications that use REEF data.
Here are some recent data requests our staff have fulfilled:
- We provided Ben Titus of the University of Alabama data to evaluate the status of anemonefishes in tropical Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Red Sea.
- Alex Merkle-Raymond from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) is using data from Bermuda to support new data activities at BIOS.
- A University of St Andrews Honours student is using REEF data from St. Croix to compare with data collected as part of the BioTIME database project.
- We provided Kayla Feairheller from Bleu World data on fish and invertebrates to evaluate populations on Catalina Island, CA.
- Anna Bakker from University of Miami is using REEF data to evaluate fish populations in relation to coral cover in the Maldives as part of a World Bank project.