Meet our June Fish of the Month, the Blue Tang, Acanthurus coeruleus — a Caribbean reef icon with one of the most dramatic color changes in the tropical Western Atlantic. The juvenile pictured above is a vivid lemon yellow; the adult it will grow into is deep blue. Same fish, two completely different looks.
We are excited to welcome our Summer 2026 Marine Education & Conservation Interns to REEF! They will assist with education, outreach, events, and more at the REEF Ocean Exploration Center in Key Largo. Since 1993, more than 150 young adults have interned with REEF and transitioned into careers all over the world, in the marine conservation field and beyond. Please join us in welcoming Will, Nevaeh, Navya, and Jay. Here’s some more about them:
One year ago, on June 7–8, 2025, we opened the doors to the REEF Ocean Exploration Center in Key Largo. Timed to World Oceans Day, the grand opening marked the start of a new chapter for REEF. The Ocean Exploration Center is a free, public space designed to spark curiosity about the ocean, advance citizen science, and equip visitors of all ages to become stewards of our blue planet. Twelve months in, we’re looking back on what the Center has made possible and thanking the community that made it real.
Race Week is June 7–13, 2026, and registration closes June 15 — or as soon as shirt supplies run out, whichever comes first. If you’ve been meaning to sign up, this is the moment.
Mark your calendar! We have two upcoming Fishinars, REEF’s free online fish ID webinars, both led by REEF’s Field Survey Trips Program Manager and fish enthusiast Stacey Henderson. Whether you’re prepping for your next dive trip or just curious about life beneath the surface, these sessions are a great way to sharpen your ID skills from anywhere.
Thanks to the efforts of many REEF members, the SMILE (Size Matters: Innovative Lengths Estimates) Project has made progress in advancing conservation technology for fisheries science and management. Size data is a crucial component of fish population monitoring to understand trends in population size, growth, age and reproductive potential, and fishing pressure. Collecting these data is often resource-limited for fisheries managers, leading to a data gap for management and conservation.
Our group of 20 participants had an incredible 9 days on our Field Survey Trip to Misool Eco Resort, in Indonesia. From close encounters of the Manta kind to vibrant schools of fish, we only scratched the surface of what this unique place had to offer. We dove deep pinnacles, shallow coastal slopes, and mangrove lagoons, finding an abundance of different species. We found species such as the Denise Pygmy Seahorse, Squarespot Anthias, Banded Archerfish, and at least 3 shark species: Blacktip, Tasseled Wobbegong, and Epaulette Shark.
REEF has been selected as one of the inaugural host organizations for Claude Corps, a new 12-month national fellowship program from Anthropic that places early-career technical talent within mission-driven nonprofit organizations.
Last month, we released the 2027 REEF Field Survey Trips schedule, along with a few trips in 2028 and 2029. We have plenty of exciting destinations planned! REEF Trips are led by marine life experts, and include diving, fish ID classes, and fun with like-minded friends. Divers, snorkelers, and families are welcome on REEF Trips.
With almost 350,000 hours of underwater visual survey time collected at more than 17,000 locations around the world over the last 33 years, the REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project represents one of the most comprehensive marine sightings databases available. We are grateful to you and the thousands of other volunteers who have contributed to this amazing citizen science effort. We are excited to share two recent uses of the REEF database for conservation and ecological studies.