Welcome to the Spring edition of the Volunteer Fish Survey Project (VFSP) Newsletter. We are celebrating Citizen Science Month, taking a look back at a remarkable 2025 in the data, pulling back the curtain on what happens after you hit submit, highlighting recent science that relied on your fish surveys, and announcing the full 2027 Field Survey Trip schedule. As always, thank you for making every one of these stories possible.
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.
Ever submitted a survey and noticed it did not show up in your account right away? No worries — it takes several weeks, at least, for your surveys to appear in your survey log. Here's a breakdown of how it works.
What a year. From 477 brand-new surveyors slipping underwater for the very first time, to 27 dedicated divers each logging 100+ surveys, the Volunteer Fish Survey Project had another remarkable year of citizen science in 2025. Here's what the data tells us — and thank you for making every one of these numbers possible.
Join us as we celebrate you and the power of community-driven science. Research findings show that citizen science is an extremely impactful tool when it comes to furthering scientific research. Your contributions to the Volunteer Fish Survey Project are a prime example of this, collecting critical data needed for marine conservation. Every survey you submit helps make a huge difference!
SCUBA divers can collect fish and marine mammal DNA just by swimming! A few years ago, we reported on an exciting collaboration with scientists from Scripps Oceanography that uses cutting-edge technology to improve our understanding of ocean ecosystems. Results from this study were recently published in the scientfic journal, Environmental DNA.
This study tested whether citizen science SCUBA divers could help monitor marine biodiversity using environmental DNA (eDNA), or tiny genetic traces organisms leave behind in seawater. eDNA filters were attached to REEF volunteer divers, who concurrently conducted REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project surveys. The DNA captured on those filters was then extracted and sequenced, and the species detected were compared to what divers recorded visually during their surveys.
Accurate underwater visual census (UVC) of fish community structure is essential for monitoring ecosystem health, managing fisheries, and evaluating response to stressors on coral reefs. However, comparisons between survey methods often reveal significant differences in species detection and estimated density.
A paper recently published in the journal Fish and Fisheries explores 70 years of visual fish census techniques, including the REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project. The paper, titled "Global Analysis of Shallow Underwater Fish Observation Research: 70 Years of Progress, Persistent Geographic Biases and a Path Forward," was one output of a multi-year Working Group called CoNCENSUS.