Anyone who has dreamed of visiting Cuba's famous Gardens of the Queen Marine Park, mark your calendar for December 11-18, 2021! We have just rescheduled a REEF Field Survey Trip aboard the Jardines Avalon II, and we have several spaces available on our new dates in December 2021. This location is known as one of the best-preseved areas in the Caribbean, with frequent sightings of large predators like snapper, grouper, and sharks. It's also one of the few places where the rare Golden Fairy Basslet has been sighted.
For nearly three decades, REEF has welcomed more than 150 young adults to the REEF Campus to spend a semester immersed in marine conservation projects. This month, we highlight former Marine Conservation Intern Colin Howe. Read on to learn about how his time at REEF shaped his career path.
When were you a REEF intern?
I was a REEF Intern in the fall of 2013.
Many hands and minds make easy work when building lionfish traps! Over the past six months, REEF staff and interns have dived into the NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy funded Deepwater Lionfish Trap Project, with partners including Tom Matthews, Emily Hutchinson and Sam Hagedorn (FWC), Steve Gittings (NOAA Marine Sanctuaries), Alex Fogg (Coast Watch Alliance), Holden Harris (University of Florida), Rachel Bowman, Peter Angelotti, ReefSave and Lionfish University.
REEF's online programs are free and open to everyone! Here's what is coming up over the next several weeks:
Fishinar: Eels of Hawaii
Monday, July 19 at 8pm EDT
Join us for tips and tricks to identify the Eels of Hawaii with expert surveyors Ron Wolfe and Dennis Bensen. Whether you're an avid Hawaii surveyor, or just looking to expand your knowledge on Hawaii's marine life, this Fishinar will be lots of fun!
Register here.
There's still time to enter REEF's 2021 'Discover the Sea' Photography Contest! You may submit up to three photos in each of the five categories: fish portrait, macro, invertebrates, REEF themed, and reefscape/habitat. Photos may be submitted until July 31. Photos will be judged using a popular vote, beginning on August 2. Winning photos will be featured on REEF’s website, social media and other communications channels. For complete details including rules and policies, visit this page.
[Photo by Bryant Turffs]
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.
Introducing our July 2021 Fish of the Month, the Hawaiian Whitespotted Toby (Canthigaster jactator))!
You’re invited to REEF’s Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival! This year’s event is taking place on Sept. 9-12, 2021, and features two full days of lionfish hunting, followed by a family-friendly festival hosted at Postcard Inn Beach Resort & Marina in Islamorada. Click here for all the details.
All are invited to join us for REEF Fest 2021 on October 14-17 in Key Largo, Florida! REEF Fest is the perfect opportunity to experience the underwater world of the Florida Keys by diving, snorkeling, or kayaking. You can join REEF staff and marine life experts on the mornings of Friday, October 15 and Saturday, October 16, as we explore diverse ocean habitats like coral reefs and mangrove trails.
Earlier this spring, we hosted our first Field Survey Trip of 2021. Sixteen REEF surveyors traveled to the remote Caribbean island of Guanaja, part of the Bay Islands of Honduras, to enjoy a week of diving and fish surveying at Villa on Dunbar Rock, an amazing resort with 360-degree views of the ocean. The results from the trip were recently processed into REEF's database, adding to the survey count for the largest marine life sightings database in the world. Altogether, the group conducted 236 surveys at 16 sites and recorded 228 different species.