Author: Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D., REEF Director of Science
We are pleased to share the publication of two new scientific papers that utilize data collected by REEF volunteers in the Monterey Peninsula area of California. Co-authored by REEF Pacific Advanced Assessment Team (AAT) member, John Wolfe, and REEF Director of Science, Dr. Christy Pattengill-Semmens, the companion papers were published earlier this summer in the journal CalCOFI Reports. The first paper, Estimating Fish Populations From REEF Citizen Science Volunteer Diver Order-of-Magnitude Surveys, describes several mathematical models to convert order-of-magnitude count data (the type of data collected during REEF Roving Diver Technique surveys) to a numeric mean. The second paper, Fish Population Fluctuation Estimates Based on Fifteen Years of REEF Volunteer Diver Data For the Monterey Peninsula, California, used the best-performing model technique to evaluate population trends in rocky reef fish species along the Monterey Peninsula. Over 3,000 REEF surveys have been conducted in this region over the last 15 years. Many of these data were collected during an annual project within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary conducted with the help of members of the Pacific AAT. Changes in relative density over time were reported for 18 fish species, including several fisheries-targeted species. Strong concordance was also found between REEF data and those collected by Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO), a consortium of academic institutions. Results showed that data collected by REEF have great potential to augment and strengthen professional research data and serve as a valuable baseline to evaluate marine reserves. Both of these papers can be found on the REEF Publications page here - www.REEF.org/db/publications (as well as downloadable from the CalCOFI Reports webpage).
Author: 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 Lillian Kenney, one of REEF's earliest members. Lillian lives in Florida and joined REEF in our inaugural year of 1993. Lillian conducted her first survey in 1994, and has since conducted 1,250 surveys, making her a member of the Golden Hamlet Club (see article in this issue for more on this achievement). She has conducted surveys in all of REEF's tropical regions (TWA, TEP, and SOP), and is a member of the TWA Advanced Assessment Team. Here's what Lillian had to say about REEF:
How did you first hear about REEF? In what ways are you involved?
I joined REEF in 1993, when it was first started. I saw an ad in a diving magazine and it sounded like the very thing I wanted to get involved in. I missed the first classes in Key Largo, but started doing fish surveys right away. Before this, I had concentrated on photography when diving, but I always tried to ID the fish. At first I did surveys on my own, but then I heard about the Advanced Assessment Team (AAT) and I took the tests and started doing Expert-level surveys. I really enjoy the camaraderie and discussing fish ID with other avid surveyors. I have done many REEF Field Survey trips over the last 20 years, including the recent ones to Fiji. The soft corals and fish in Fiji are definitely a highlight for me.
Do you dive close to where you live?
In the summer I dive regularly and do surveys in Florida. I live near the Gulf of Mexico and enjoy diving the same sites year after year to see what stays the same and note any changes. I also dive on the East Coast of Florida and in the Keys. One of my favorite sites is Blue Heron Bridge in West Palm Beach, Florida. I always see interesting critters there.
What is your favorite fish find?
I have many favorite fish and invertebrates. If I had to pick one I guess it would be the frogfish. It is so cute and reminds me of children's bathtub toys. It is very interesting to watch as it 'walks' on the bottom. I see Striated Frogfish at Blue Heron Bridge. I have also seen the same species in Indonesia. In the Gulf I sometimes see Ocellated Frogfish.
Author: Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D., REEF Director of Science
No, it's not a club of Shakespearean enthusiasts! Rather it's a club of citizen scientist superstars - those REEF members who have conducted 1,000+ surveys in the REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project. The very first Golden Hamlet member was Linda Baker, achieving the status in 2005. Today, there are are sixteen members of the Golden Hamlet Club. We recently created a plaque, now hanging at REEF HQ in Key Largo, with the names of our honored volunteer surveyors -- Lad Akins, Linda Baker, Judie Clee, Janet Eyre, Dave Grenda, Doug Harder, Lillian Kenney, Peter Leahy, Rob McCall, Franklin Neal, Mike Phelan, Bruce Purdy, Linda Ridley, Dee Scarr, Linda Schillinger, and Sheryl Shea. Congratulations to you all. Thanks to their dedication, and those of the 14,000 other volunteers who have participated in the Survey Project since its inception in 1993, we have generated the largest marine fish sightings database in the world. Who's going to be the next Golden Hamlet surveyor?
Author: Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D., REEF Director of Science
Earlier this summer, we proudly released the next generation of REEF survey technology, the REEF Data Entry Program. When surveying began in 1993, divers and snorkelers wrote out each sighted fish species on a slate and submitted the surveys to the database using paper scantron forms. In 1994, we developed pre-printed underwater survey paper to make surveying easier, and in 2005 we said goodbye to bubble-filling and premiered online data entry using the Internet. The time had come to innovate yet again.
With our members in mind, we looked to develop a data entry tool that would meet the varied needs of our surveyors, including those who are traveling or live in areas with limited Internet access. The REEF Survey Data Entry Program allows our volunteers to enter REEF surveys without an Internet connection. When they have access to the web, the entered surveys are uploaded to the REEF online entry portal. Users then logon to the portal, complete error checking, and submit the surveys to REEF. The program operates on both Mac and PC computers, and is available for all of REEF’s survey regions. Our Beta-testers and early users agree it’s a great program, and many of them prefer the offline data entry program over online data entry.
The program is free to download at: www.REEF.org/dataentryprogram. Give it a try next time you survey! We hope you enjoy the program as much as we do. Feel free to send feedback to data@REEF.org. REEF extends a huge thank you to programmer, Chris MacGregor, for his work on this project, as well as REEF members who encouraged us to pursue this option and made contributions to support its development.
Author: REEF Staff
We are pleased to share with you the the 2014 REEF Field Survey Trip schedule. We have an exciting lineup of destinations planned, and we hope you will join us. These trips offer a great introduction to fish identification for novice fishwatchers, and are a fun way for experienced surveyors to build their life list while interacting with fellow fishwatchers. REEF staff, board members, and other REEF experts lead these trips, and each features daily classroom seminars and a full diving schedule.
Dates, destinations, and trip leader information is below. Prices and complete details can be found online at www.REEF.org/trips. To find out more about any of these trips or to book your space, contact our travel consultants at Caradonna at 1-877-295-7333 (REEF), REEF@caradonna.com, or our staff at REEF HQ at 305-852-0030, trips@REEF.org (see trip description for booking information).
Dates and Destinations for 2014 REEF Trips --
February 22 - March 1, 2014 -- Dominica, Dive Dominica and Castle Comfort -- Led by Ned and Anna DeLoach, REEF Founders and World Renowned Marine Life Authors, Photographers, and Naturalists *almost full!*
April 26 - May 3, 2014 -- Turneffe Atoll, Belize, Blackbird Caye Resort -- Led by Jonathan Lavan, REEF Fishinar Instructor and Fish Expert
May 31 - June 7, 2014 -- Northern Bahamas, Lionfish Control Study, Aqua Cat Live-aboard -- Led by Lad Akins, REEF Director of Special Projects, and Peter Hughes, REEF Board of Trustee
June 21 - 28, 2014 -- Bay Islands, Honduras, MV Caribbean Pearl II -- Led by Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D., REEF Director of Science, and Brice Semmens, Ph.D., REEF Fish Expert
July 26 - August 2, 2014 -- Key Largo, Florida, REEF Discovery Tour, Horizon Divers and Marina del Mar Hotel -- Led by Paul Humann, REEF Founder and Renowned Marine Life Author and Photographer
August 16 - 23, 2014 -- Curacao, Lionfish Control Study, GO WEST Diving and Sandton Kura Hulanda Lodge -- Led by Lad Akins, REEF Director of Special Projects, and Peter Hughes, REEF Board of Trustee
September 14 - 18, 2014 -- Hornby Island, British Columbia, Hornby Island Diving -- Led by Janna Nichols, REEF Outreach Coordinator
November 8 - 15, 2014 -- Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands, Cayman Brac Beach Resort -- Led by Heather George, REEF Fish Expert
December 6 - 13, 2014 -- Nevis, Eastern Caribbean, Oualie Beach Resort -- Led by Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D., REEF Director of Science
December 6 - 13, 2014 -- Cozumel, Aqua Safari -- Led by Tracey Griffin, REEF Fish Expert and Cozumel Naturalist
Author: Janna Nichols, REEF Outreach Coordinator
New Fishinars are always being added. Check out the Webinar Training page (www.REEF.org/fishinars) for the most up-to-date listing. 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:
Perplexing Parrotfish of the Caribbean - September 10
Keep Pointing! The Top 12 Caribbean Fish You Might Mistake For a Rock - September 26
Lesser Known Fish of Cozumel - October 17
Feel the Beat! The Top 12 Drums & Croakers of the Caribbean - October 29
You do WHAT for a living? Illustrating Fishes - with special guest Val Kells, Scientific Illustrator - November 13
Check out the Fishinar page for more details and to register for each session.
