Happy Summer, REEF Friends. We are excited to bring you this month's issue of REEF-in-Brief. As we approach the half-way mark of our Summer Funraising Campaign, we are about 1/3 of the way towards our goal of raising $60,000. Thanks to all who have already contributed. If you haven't yet donated, please consider doing so today. Because of a generous offer from the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, your contribution (and your impact) with be doubled! Funds raised during this campaign will ensure that REEF is able to continue our valuable marine conservation programs.

REEF Staff and Board members are proud to announce the release of our 2009 Annual Report. To view a PDF of the report online, click here. In this report, you will find updates on our membership, the Volunteer Fish Survey Project, regional activities, special projects (e.g. invasive lionfish and Grouper Moon), data use and publications, our upcoming plans, and finances. We are truly grateful for all your support that made 2009 such a success!

Earlier this month, on World Oceans Day, we kicked off REEF's Summer Fundraising Campaign with a goal of raising $60,000 by July 31. Thanks to the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, who has generously offered to match your donations, we are over one-third of the way to our goal with $10,345 donated and matched so far. To all of our members who have already donated, we extend our sincere gratitude. If you haven't yet had a chance, please contribute today.

One of nature’s most spectacular underwater wonders is the annual coral spawning, when many of the reef’s corals and other animals, cued by late summer’s full moon, synchronize their spawning. In 2010, several of our summer REEF Trips, one to Key Largo and one to Bonaire, are scheduled around the projected coral spawning for those areas. Join like-minded underwater naturalists and combine fishwatching with a chance to see this exciting event. To see the current REEF Field Survey Trips schedule, visit www.REEF.org/trips.

Great Annual Fish Count 2010 - An exciting lineup of free identification seminars and survey dives are being organized around the country by REEF partners. Check out the GAFC Website for more details and to find out how to organize your own GAFC event. And be sure to watch the GAFC calendar of events to see what's being planned in your area.

Green Turtle Cay-July 19, 2010

Organizers of the Second Annual Lionfish Derby held in Green Turtle Cay, June 19 reported that 941 lionfish were captured in the event held this week-end at the Green Turtle Club.

Twenty-one boats participated, with teams from Florida and the Bahamas searching the Abaco waters for lionfish in perfect weather and conditions.

The second annual Abaco Lionfish Derby, held at Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas, on Saturday June 19th, was a huge success. Teams on twenty-one boats from Florida and the Bahamas enjoyed perfect weather and conditions while collecting a grand total of 941 lionfish. Over $5,000 in cash was awarded to the winning teams for the most, biggest, and smallest lionfish. This event, held in the Bahamas and sanctioned by the Bahamas Department of Marine Resources, is one of many REEF efforts to cull invasive lionfish populations and raise awareness about the issue.

With this edition of REEF-in-Brief, we are proud to introduce three new members of our staff team - Alecia, Sasha, and Janna. Their combined talents will help execute our successful citizen science programs and community outreach. Our dedicated staff and Board of Trustees, combined with the support of our volunteer surveyors and donors, ensure that REEF continues to be a highly effective, grass-roots marine conservation organization.

REEF is excited to introduce three new members of our staff team – Alecia Adamson, Sasha Medlen, and Janna Nichols. Their expertise and passion will help REEF continue our long-standing marine conservation programs and community outreach. They join REEF's other program staff, Lad Akins (Director of Operations) and Christy Pattengill-Semmens (Director of Science), our administrative staff, Jane Bixby (Office Manager) and Janet Bartnicki (Accounts Manager), and our volunteer Fish & Friends coordinator Nancy Perez.

Long-time REEF supporters, Les and Keri Wilk of ReefNet, recently discovered and photographed a distinctively marked population of the Greenbanded Goby, Elacatinus multifasciatus, on the island of Utila, Honduras. The population was distinguished by a prominent red stripe across the cheek that is not found on other populations of Greenbanded Gobies, as well as more numerous green bars on the body. The Wilks contacted Dr.

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