Our partners at the Cayman Islands Department of Environment (DoE) recently used REEF data to evaluate Scalloped Hammerhead shark populations in the Cayman Islands, and their findings could mean good news for the future of hammerhead sharks in the area! The Scalloped Hammerhead is a critically endangered shark species with a decreasing global population. They are normally seen in large schools in the Pacific Ocean, but this is a rare sighting in the Atlantic Ocean, and schools of Scalloped Hammerheads have not been observed in the Cayman Islands for decades.
Welcome to Citizen Science Corner, our quarterly feature to celebrate those who recently reached a milestone in our Volunteer Fish Survey Project. Here are achievements from January, February and March, 2024.
Juvenile Hamlet Award
The Juvenile Hamlet Award is for individuals who have conducted 500+ REEF surveys. Congratulations to our latest Juvenile Hamlet Club member, Naomi Wooten! Read more about the Juvenile Hamlet award and others who have achieved it.
Supported by a grant from the Society of Conservation Biology, REEF Ocean Explorers Education team member Madalyn Mussey recently traveled to the southeastern Caribbean island of Grenada to teach fish ID and REEF survey methods to college students. Known as the the Aqua Rangers, these Grenadian students protect their island resources and learn career skills to boost their blue economy.
In a new study published last week in the journal Conservation Letters, researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, and REEF demonstrate that fish population data collected by volunteer scuba divers and snorkelers (i.e. citizen scientists) provide a powerful and accurate tool to track species trends and biodiversity.
We have just released the 2025 REEF Field Survey Trips schedule, and we hope you will join us on a future trip! REEF Trips are led by marine life experts, and include diving, fish ID classes, and fun with friends. Divers, snorkelers, and families are welcome on REEF Trips. To find out more or book your space, email trips@REEF.org. We'll send you an invoice to submit a deposit to secure your space. For individual trip details and more info, please visit the links below.
Our March Fish of the Month is the Barberfish, Johnrandallia nigrirostris!
Our online programs are free and open to all! Check out what's coming up, and view the entire schedule of Fishinars and other online programs here.
Fishinar: Strange Fishes of the Pacific Northwest
Tuesday, March 19 8pm EDT
Click here to register.
Poachers, snailfish, lumpsuckers... join us to learn about some of the weird fish who call the Pacific Northwest home.
Marbled Snailfish photo by Greg Jensen.
REEF members are the heart of our grassroots marine conservation programs. A diverse community of divers, snorkelers, and ocean enthusiasts support our mission to conserve marine environments worldwide.
This month we highlight Debbie Cacace, a REEF member from Virginia. She joined REEF in 2017 and has conducted more than 460 surveys in the Tropical Western Atlantic region, where she is a Level 5 surveyor. Thank you Debbie, for being a dedicated and active part of REEF!
We are so proud to share that Alice and Will Ribbens are our 2023 REEF Volunteers of the Year! Alice has been a REEF member since 2010, and Will joined in 2012. Since then, they have been active and dedicated members of the REEF community who serve as outstanding ambassadors for REEF's mission and ocean conservation work.
Put your pectoral fins together in a round of applause for Sara Cowles, who has recently achieved REEF Golden Hamlet Club status!