Meet our September Fish of the Month, the Rock Gunnel, Pholis gunnellus!
Survey Regions: The Rock Gunnel is found in the temperate and cold waters of the Northeast US and Canada region. Click here to view the REEF database sightings report for this species.
Size: They grow to between 5 to 8 inches.
REEF online programs are free and open to everyone! Here's what's coming up this month:
Fishinar: Life in the Hawaiian Surge
Thursday, September 14, 8pm EDT
Click here to register.
Shallow, surge-swept areas are home to plenty of fish life. Learn how to identify some of the species found in the surge zones of Hawaii in this special Fishinar presented by REEF surveyor and Hawaii resident Dennis Bensen, and REEF Citizen Science Program Manager Janna Nichols.
We are excited to welcome our Fall 2023 Marine Conservation Interns to REEF! They will assist with education, outreach, events, and daily operations around the REEF Campus in Key Largo, Florida. Pictured from left to right are Noah Herren, Asavari Shanker, Noa Parks, and Lily Fife Schaeufele. Here's a bit more about them:
The Conservation Challenge is a fun way to get involved in marine conservation and citizen science. You can earn collectible stickers by participating in various REEF programs and events! There are some great opportunities coming up this fall to earn different Conservation Challenge stickers, including:
Our annual summer fundraising match just ended on August 8, and we wanted to share some exciting news. Thanks to the REEF community, we reached our goal and were able to take advantage of our full match amount of $70,000! Thank you to The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, The Henry Foundation, and The Meyer Foundation for generously matching all donations this summer.
Take a bite out of lionfish at the 14th annual REEF Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival, coming up on Sept. 7-10. The event features two full days of lionfish hunting, plus a family-friendly lionfish festival.
REEF Fest 2023 is coming up on October 19-22 in Key Largo, Florida. Join us for free, educational ocean seminars, diving, snorkeling, kayaking, nature tours, and socials! You can see all the details and register at www.REEF.org/REEFfest. We're excited to host free ocean seminars at Murray Nelson Government Center on Oct. 20 and 21. Our seminar speakers include:
August is here, and for many, this means back to school season. To kick off the school year, we are hosting a virtual Educator Workshop for REEF Programs, on August 17 at 7pm EDT. All educators are invited to attend this webinar to learn more about REEF education resources including Virtual Field Trips, available for grades 3-8, and Virtual Case Studies, designed for high school students. Visit www.REEF.org/fishinars to register for the webinar. Did you know that REEF also has a special newsletter designed just for educators?
The 2023 REEF Discover the Sea Underwater Photography Contest is coming soon! Starting September 1, all photographers, regardless of skill level or experience, are invited to submit their best ocean-themed photos for this year's contest.
Each year during the full moon, more than 15,000 Camouflage Grouper, Epinephelus polyphekadion, converge in French Polynesia to spawn in the early morning hours. They are joined by hundreds of sharks, including gray reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, oceanic blacktip sharks and lemon sharks. The sharks take advantage of this massive gathering of large-bodied grouper to feast on distracted individuals.
