You're invited to join in REEF’s 2021 Underwater Photography Contest! The 2021 contest features five categories: fish portrait, macro, invertebrates, REEF themed, and reefscape/habitat. Participants may submit up to three photos in each category.
Growing up to eight feet long and weighing more than 800 pounds, the Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus itajara) is one of the largest grouper species in the world. Goliath Grouper are considered Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and have been protected from harvest in US waters since 1990, after decades of heavy fishing caused a near extinction of the species.
REEF's Volunteer Fish Survey Project database totals almost 260,000 surveys. A small group of highly dedicated surveyors, known as the Golden Hamlet Club, have contributed significantly to this total by each conducting 1,000 or more REEF surveys. It's with great excitement that we welcome Cassandra Neal to the Golden Hamlet Club!
Introducing our June 2021 Fish of the Month, the Greater Soapfish, Rypticus saponaceus!
REEF's online programs are free and open to everyone! Here's what is coming up over the next several weeks:
Into the Blue Book Club Meeting
Thursday, June 10 at 8pm EDT
Into the Blue Book Club brings together readers who love the ocean. At this meeting, we will be discussing our June book selection, Into the Planet by legendary cave diver Jill Heinerth. Jill is also attending the meeting for a Q&A!
Register here.
We recently welcomed our Summer 2021 Marine Conservation Interns to REEF. They will support the REEF team by assisting with events, education and outreach programs, and daily operations around the REEF Campus. This semester’s interns bring a unique set of skills and interests to REEF. They include:
If you are itching to don your mask and snorkel and get back in the water, consider joining a REEF Field Survey Trip later this year! You can view the full schedule at www.REEF.org/trips. REEF Trips are led by marine life experts, and include diving, seminars about fish identification, and plenty of fun with friends. Not a scuba diver? No problem. Snorkelers are welcome on REEF Trips and any of the destinations below would be great for non-diving companions. To book your space, send an email to trips@REEF.org.
REEF recently collaborated with the Northeast Regional Ocean Council to contribute data to the Northeast Ocean Data portal, an interactive, decision-making mapping tool. As part of the effort, a new map layer showing survey locations and observations from REEF's Volunteer Fish Survey Project was added to the Portal. The map layer depicts over 250 scuba diving locations, from Newfoundland to Virginia, where REEF volunteers have submitted reports of their observations of fish and other marine life during dives.
There's still time to register for the second annual Fish Out of Water Virutal 5K, coming up on June 7-13, 2021. If you haven't registered yet, click here to do so now. Be sure to sign up soon - early bird registration rates end on May 10! When you sign up, you will choose to join one of five Fish Teams. Each fish is a popular species found in REEF's Volunteer Fish Survey Project regions.
Last Friday, April 30, was REEF's first Give BIG for the Oceans event. On this day, the REEF community came together to show support for marine conservation. As a result, our members set a REEF record for most funds raised in a single day. More than 100 people donated during Give BIG for the Oceans, allowing us to exceed our fundraising goal! We are so grateful to our members for their incredibly generous support. Thank you for helping to make our first ever Give BIG for the a Oceans a BIG success!